INFECÇÃO DO TRATO URINÁRIO (ITU)

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.6002317104

• Palavras-chave: Infecção, diagnóstico, tratamento

• Keywords: Infection, diagnosis, treatment

• Abstract: The urinary tract is an anatomically susceptible region to infections, both community and nosocomial (hospital), especially in patients allocated to intensive care units (ICU). The infection that affects this site is called urinary tract infection (UTI), which can happen at any age, from newborns to the elderly. Due to the greater probability of congenital malformations in men, at the beginning of life this type of infection is more prevalent in this gender, while in adolescence and adulthood, women become the most injured due to the shorter length of the urethra and the greater proximity between the anus and the vaginal vestibule. It should also be noted that in this age group, greater urethral length, prostatic secretion containing antibacterial substances and greater urinary flow are protective factors against the development of UTI in men. On the other hand, from the age of 60, when there is a higher incidence of prostatism, there will be a decrease in antibacterial secretion from the prostate, causing a return to a higher incidence of UTI in males. Vaginal atrophy, urinary incontinence and cystocele are important risk factors for UTI in postmenopausal women.