Are you suffering from a UTI and you are not aware of it?
Urinary tract infections, also known as UTIs, are infections that happen in any part of the urinary system. Urethra, kidneys, ureters, or bladders—they all can be affected by this, and most of the time, knowing the symptoms is really important because if left untreated, a UTI can be very dangerous.
Generally, such an infection will first affect the lower urinary system, the bladder, and the urethra. Also, women suffer more from UTIs than men, and the symptoms are excruciating and annoying. But sometimes these infections can be silent or their symptoms can be mistaken for something else.
If you believe that after a certain age, you can no longer get a urinary infection, you need to know that this is not true and that sometimes it’s even harder for those over 50 to identify if they have a UTI.
Read on and find out the signs!
1. Nausea
This is one of the most overlooked signs of a UTI in older adults. Everybody expects pain when urinating, but prolonged nausea can also be an indicator of a urinary infection. Sometimes the elderly may experience more subtle or atypical signs like nausea.
This is happening for several reasons, but the weakened immune responses, coexisting chronic conditions, and the natural aging process are your best bet.
When the immune system becomes very weak, the body is no longer able to safely isolate the infection in just one area of the body, and this leads to nausea, vomiting, or general malaise.
Nausea during a UTI is the body’s inflammatory response as it attempts to fight off the infection. In extreme cases, a generalized infection called urosepsis can happen. This is when the infection spreads through the bloodstream and more severe symptoms like nausea, confusion, and even delirium can appear.
Also, urinary infections can make seniors severely dehydrated, and this can also cause severe nausea.
2. Confusion
Depending on how bad the UTI is, confusion can be a pretty common symptom among older adults. Unlike younger individuals who typically experience classic UTI symptoms, seniors can suffer from some atypical symptoms, and confusion is definitely one of them, and it often gets mistaken for dementia or aging-related cognitive decline.
But what causes this confusion? It’s all about how the body responds to infections as it ages. When the immune system is weak, it is harder for it to fight infections. This is how UTIs can cause systemic inflammation, affecting multiple body systems, including the brain.
Combine this inflammation and the body’s reduced ability to regulate itself, and this is how symptoms like confusion, disorientation, agitation, or even hallucinations can appear for some seniors.
If the infection is extremely bad and sepsis appears, this can further make the confusion worse. This symptom associated with other conditions can be life-threatening, so the best thing to do is go to the ER if you or someone you know experiences this.
3. Lower back or pubic area pain
When they hear UTI, most people think of pain when urinating, but when lower back or pubic area pain, especially in seniors, this might mean that the infection may have spread beyond the lower urinary tract.
Once this pain appears, you know that there is inflammation and irritation in the urinary system, particularly the kidneys or bladder. In some cases, this can be an indicator of pyelonephritis (kidney infection).
When you have cystitis or a balder UTI, you might feel discomfort or pain in the pubic area. This pain is caused by inflammation of the bladder wall and the surrounding tissues, resulting in a sensation of pressure, cramping, or tenderness in the lower abdomen.
If the infection manages to spread to the kidneys, this is when the mid to lower back appears. This back pain is usually sharp, intense, and localized to one side, indicating that the kidneys are affected.
Compared to bladder infections, kidney ones are more serious and can lead to complications such as kidney damage or sepsis if not treated promptly. The worst part is that older adults are more susceptible to kidney infections because their immune system is weaker.
4. Fever
If you ever had a UTI before, the chances are you haven’t experienced a fever. Young, healthy people generally don’t have a fever when suffering from a urinary infection, but older adults might do.
Now, we are talking about any fever, not just a high one. A body temperature of 99°F without any other symptoms can be concerning if it doesn’t drop for a few days. A fever is the main mechanism of the body to fight an infection. Most bacteria and viruses are not resistant to high temperatures, and this is why a fever can destroy them.
However, in elderly patients, fever can be more subtle or occur with additional, atypical symptoms. When an older patient has a fever, it might be a sign that the UTI progressed beyond the bladder, possibly involving the kidneys or spreading into the bloodstream.
These are both serious conditions and require immediate medical attention. As the infection worsens, temperatures can spike higher. But since the immune system is weak, even a low-grade fever should be a cause of concern.
5. Changes in the urine
If you go to the bathroom and notice changes in your urine, this can be a sign of a UTI. Changes in urine color, odor, and clarity are caused by the body’s inflammatory response to bacterial invasion in the urinary tract.
When the urine is clear, this can mean that pus and white cells are present. In healthy individuals, urine is typically clear or light yellow, but when infection occurs, the body sends off the white cells to fight it.
Foul-smelling urine is another symptom, often caused by the metabolic byproducts of bacteria, such as E. coli, which is the most common cause of UTIs. The smell can be fishy, or it can remind you of strong ammonia.
If the infection is more severe, urine can be reddish or pink, and this is a sign of hematuria (blood in the urine). This occurs when the infection causes irritation and inflammation of the bladder or urethra lining, leading to small amounts of blood leaking into the urine.
Unfortunately, as you age, your chances of getting a UTI are higher. According to research, more than 10% of women over the age of 65 get UTIs each year. That figure rises to over 30% for those over the age of 85.
This mainly happens because of your hormones. Estrogen is one of the hormones that helps you keep bacteria away. A good estrogen supply will keep things acidic, and this means bacteria will stay away. But after menopause, its level drops, and your urinary tract becomes more susceptible to infections.
Furthermore, as people age, their bladder and pelvic floor muscles lose strength, making it more difficult to completely empty their bladders. Stagnant urine in your bladder provides an ideal environment for harmful germs to develop.
If you are not sure if you have an UTI or not, you can try an easy home test, but if you have symptoms, better go to the doctor: Easy@Home UTI Test Strips: Highly Accurate Urinary Tract Test Kit for Women Men, Bladder Infection UTI Urine Testing
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