Editor’s note: Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt is a urologist and robotic surgeon with Orlando Health and president of the Florida Urological Society.
This was one of the messages I received over the past 24 hours.
Yes, men can get urinary tract infections. Not fake news.
All of this interest was sparked by news this week that President Bill Clinton has been hospitalized for treatment for a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream.
I first heard the news when I was in a room with a new male patient who recently had two back-to-back urinary tract infections. This patient is one of hundreds I may see in a year as a urologist. They’re sent to me to help figure out why these infections are occurring and how to prevent the next one.
To quench the curiosity driven by the recent news, here’s what I’d like you to know about UTIs.
1. So what exactly is a UTI?
UTI is short for urinary tract infection. It’s an infection of the organs in your body — I call them pipes — that are meant to funnel your urine out of your system and into the urinal. Most UTIs are caused by bacteria that work their way into the urethra, prostate, bladder or kidneys.
2. How are UTIs in men different from those in women?
Way more women than men are diagnosed with UTIs. Anatomically, we feel this happens because women have a shorter urethra — the tube that connects the bladder to the outside world. The shorter length makes it easier for bacteria to travel to the urinary system. Men have longer urethras and therefore can be protected against urinary infections.
But the length of the urethra alone cannot protect men against UTIs — over their lifetimes, 12% of men will get urinary symptoms linked to a UTI. This by no means implies a urethra or penis are short or small. In men, there is usually a more clear pathologic cause to the infection beyond just the length of the urethra.
3. What puts certain men at a higher risk for UTIs?
There are many reasons why a guy may get a UTI — all of them we take seriously and should not be ignored.
Men older than 50 tend to get more infections than younger men. As a urologist, I see men get recurrent infections when they do not properly empty their bladder because of an enlarged prostate. Beyond the prostate, men may not empty their bladder if they have nerve damage from stroke, uncontrolled diabetes or injury to the spine. Men can also get infections that start from the prostate or testicles that seed up into the bladder, or the opposite can happen where the infection goes from the bladder to the other organs. Kidney stones can also be a cause of infection. (I know this from personal experience — I’ve had a kidney stone myself!)
Younger men may also present with urinary infections because of sexually transmitted diseases. Men can also get an infection if they have a recent procedure done in the urinary system.
4. What are the signs and symptoms of a UTI?
Burning with urination (dysuria), increased urinary frequency, urgency, incontinence, foul smell, blood in the urine, fevers, chills, pain in the abdomen near the bladder. Believe it or not, some men may have zero symptoms and still get diagnosed with a UTI based on urine cultures done…
Read More News: UTIs in men? It happens. Here are 10 things to know
