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Medicine vocabulary · Diseases by System

Urinary tract infection

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈjʊrəneri ˌtrækt ɪnˈfekʃən/nounCore term

In medicine, urinary tract infection means: An infection anywhere in the system that makes and carries urine, most often the bladder; it usually causes burning and frequent urination.

In Turkish: idrar yolu enfeksiyonu, İYE

How it is used

Usually shortened to UTI. Doctors separate lower UTI (cystitis, in the bladder) from upper UTI (pyelonephritis, in the kidney). A urine dipstick and culture are the usual tests. In older patients a UTI may show up as new confusion.

Example sentences

  1. She has had three urinary tract infections this year, so we'll refer her to urology.

  2. Burning when passing urine is a typical symptom of a urinary tract infection.

Common collocations

  • recurrent urinary tract infection
  • lower urinary tract infection
  • treat a urinary tract infection
  • catheter-associated urinary tract infection
  • infectionAn illness caused when bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites enter the body and multiply.
  • urinalysisA test of a urine sample, either with a dipstick at the bedside or in the lab, to look for blood, protein, sugar, signs of infection and other changes.
  • antibioticA medicine that kills bacteria or stops them from growing, used to treat bacterial infections. It does not work against viruses.
  • confusionA state in which a person cannot think clearly, is disoriented in time or place, or cannot follow what is happening around them.
  • catheterA thin, flexible tube put into the body to drain fluid or give treatment, most often one passed into the bladder to drain urine.

More terms: Diseases by System

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