Chronic or recurrent urinary tract infection

Alternative names:

chronic or recurrent UTI; urinary tract infection - chronic or recurrent; UTI - chronic or recurrent

Symptoms:

• pressure in the lower pelvis
• urination, painful (dysuria)
• frequent need to urinate (frequency)
• urgent need to urinate (urgency)
• need to urinate at night
• abnormal urine color -- cloudy
• blood in the urine (hematuria)
• foul or strong urine odor

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• nausea & vomiting
• fever
• fatigue
• fever
• chills
• mental changes or confusion *

* Often in the elderly person, mental changes or confusion are the only signs of a possible urinary tract infection.

Signs and tests:

Examination is nonspecific. A medical history reveals a recurrence of symptoms 2 or more times in 6 months, or a persistence of acute symptoms longer than 48 hours after treatment has begun.

• A urinalysis commonly reveals white blood cells (WBC) and/or red blood cells (RBC).
• A urine culture (clean catch) or catheterized urine specimen may reveal bacteria in the urine. A urine culture that is positive for more than 2 weeks even with treatment indicates chronic or recurrent UTI.
• An abdominal ultrasound or KUB (abdominal X-ray) may be needed to evaluate the status of the renal system (kidneys, ureters, and bladder).