01-08-2009, 04:15 PM
A Urinary Tract Infection describes a condition where some part of your urinary tract has become infected, and that infection is large enough to be detected by the physician. Your urinary tract begins at the renal pelvis, and includes the ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra. A UTI can affect any of these parts. There are certain infectious conditions that can affect the urinary tract that do not result in pain. At least, not at first. Any infection that is left untreated will lead to the growth of the infection, possibly forming an abscess, or a cyst. Either of these conditions can result in surgical treatment in order to eradicate them. Today, we typically treat UTI's with a run (10 days) of an antibiotic, such as Keflex, or something similar. Although it depends on the exact nature of the infection, and your physician's tradition for treating UTI's, which will ultimately determine the prescribed therapy. If you are asymptomatic (no symptoms), you have the right to ask the physician for the test results he or she read that lead them to this conclusion. You cannot diagnose a Urinary Tract Infection without doing the proper diagnostic study. In this case they should have drawn blood and/or urine from you, and tested it to see what infection may be present. This is the only way to properly diagnose a UTI, and as a patient you always have the right to question your physician about how they arrived at their conclusion concerning your health. Hope that helps.
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