Once is enough. If a man suspects he has a urinary tract infection, he should see a doctor.
Urinary tract infections, commonly called UTIs, are often caused by bacteria including E.coli found in the bowels. They are more common among women and account for more than 8 million visits to healthcare providers every year, according to the National Institutes of Health. They are generally treated with antibiotics.
Symptoms include:
- Painful urination.
- Lower belly pain.
- Urgent and frequent urination.
- Possible blood in the urine.
For men, an infection with those symptoms could be a sign of something more serious. “A man who gets a urinary tract infection – even one – should see a doctor,” said St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s Dr. Sonia Chopra, a board-certified urologist. “It’s usually a sign of something going on,” she said.
Start with a primary doctor, she advised, and it may be important to follow up with a urologist.
UTIs are less common for men because the male urethra is much longer so it’s harder for bacteria to get there. The female urethra is shorter and closer to the anus, which is a possible source of the bacteria.
With men, it may be a sign they are not emptying their bladder well or that it’s not a UTI but another problem causing symptoms, Chopra explained.
While it has the same symptoms – pain in the lower belly, and pain when urinating – it could be an infection in the prostate or testicle.
Chopra said the usual treatment for a UTI would be a urine culture and treatment with antibiotics. “Even with one UTI, they need to have a workup as to why,” said Chopra. That may include imaging of the kidney, a CT scan, an ultrasound, and looking inside the bladder or the prostate with a camera.
“There are an amazing amount of things that we can diagnose with imaging and there’s still a lot we don’t know. And we are learning things every day.”
The urine culture takes a few days beyond the dipstick test taken in many doctors’ offices and can help determine which antibiotic to use.
