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Urinary tract infection (lower) - men - Background information
What is it?
- Urinary tract infection (UTI) is infection of any part of the urinary tract, usually by bacteria, but rarely by other micro-organisms or viruses.
- Lower UTI is infection of the bladder (although technically, urethritis and prostatitis are also lower UTIs). In this CKS topic the term 'lower UTI' implies infection of the bladder with no clinical evidence of urethritis, prostatitis, epididymitis, or orchitis.
- Cystitis is often used as a synonym for lower UTI (particularly for women) although technically it means 'inflammation of the bladder' and there are rare non-infectious causes of cystitis, such as radiation and chemicals.
- Upper UTI includes pyelitis (infection of the proximal part of the ureters) and pyelonephritis (infection of the kidneys and the proximal part of the ureters).
- Recurrent UTI is repeated UTI, which may be due to relapse or reinfection.
- Relapse is a recurrent UTI with the same strain of organism. Relapse is the likely cause if infection recurs within a short period after treatment (for example within 2 weeks).
- Reinfection is a recurrent UTI with a different strain or species of organism. Reinfection is the likely cause if UTI recurs more than 2 weeks after treatment.
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