Knowledge And Causes Of Urinary Tract Infection As Perceived By Health Workers
[A CASE STUDY OF KAURA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE]

Classification of UTI
It is understood that the infection targets the different parts of the urinary tract and as a consequence results in the contagion of the lower and the upper urinary tracts. The infection is named based on the site of infection. The infection of urethra and ureter are referred to as urethritis and ureteritis respectively where as cystitis and phylonephritis corresponds to bladder and kidney infections. Cystitis is a common type of infection where as the infection associated with the renal damage is an issue of serious concern. Therefore the infection of bladder and urethra are referred as the infection of the lower urinary tract whereas the kidney and ureter infection is an indication of upper tract infection. Generally UTIs are classified based on the factors that trigger the infection and the nature of occurrence. Taking these aspects in to consideration, UTIs can be classified as follows:
i. Uncomplicated or complicated (based on the factor that triggers the infection)
ii. Primary or recurrent (depending on the nature of occurrence)
Uncomplicated and complicated urinary tract infection: This is a consequence of bacterial infection and the prevalence is higher in women than men. This includes the common form of the infection like the cystitis and phylonephritis which affects the lower and the upper tracts leading to bladder and kidney infections. In contrast, complicated urinary tract infection occurs in men and women at any point of their life and has the tendency to produce severe outcomes resulting in death under serious circumstances. These infections are highly intricate and are difficult to treat and they are persistent. These complicated urinary tract infections can lead to outcomes like structural anomalies that blights that capability of the urinary tract to flush out the urine and this in turn provides better scope for the growth of bacteria as urine is considered to be a suitable growth medium and leads to dire consequences. Patients with urinary tract infection are often subjected to medical devices and one such device commonly employed among the patients are the urinary catheters which serve as a common means of infection. In addition, bladder and kidney malfunction and kidney transplants are the other factors for complicated urinary tract infection. The first three months after kidney transplant is very crucial and the patient is vulnerable to develop such complications.
Recurrent urinary tract infection: This is a common phenomenon that is observed among women who have experienced uncomplicated UTIs and they are classified as re-infection and relapse. Major cases of UTIs are referred to as re-infections and the condition is encountered by the patient after several weeks of antibiotic treatment. The less frequent type of recurrent UTI is known as relapse which is an outcome of treatment failure and the patient encounters the condition within two weeks of the previous infection. Relapse UTIs are usually associated with phylonephritis which results in renal failures, kidney impediments through kidney stones and anatomical abnormalities in men and women. In addition, the classification of UTIs is also based on the extent of symptoms exhibited by the patients which groups the UTIs in to symptomatic and asymptomatic UTIs.
The bacterial count is an important parameter to signify the presence of symptomatic and asymptomatic UTIs. The most common pathogen known for conferring the infection is E. coliwhich constitutes up to 80 to 85% followed by the other pathogens that reside in the urinary tract like Pseudomonas, Klebsiella.
In addition, to bacteria other microbes like fungi and viruses are known to cause UTIs but bacterial mean of infection predominates.
Symptoms of UTI
UTI can be manifested as asymptomatic or symptomatic infection based on the presence and absence of the symptoms [14]. Hence symptoms enhance the diagnosis process among young healthy women. The infection is less common in children.