If it hurts to urinate, this usually causes someone to ask the question, What Is A Urinary Tract Infection? The definition found at Wikipedia is a good, easy to understand explanation:
What Is A Urinary Tract Infection? (UTI)
Urinary Tract Infections Affect the Bladder, The Urethra, the Ureters and Sometimes the Kidneys.
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection that affects part of the urinary tract. When it affects the lower urinary tract it is known as a simple cystitis (a bladder infection) and when it affects the upper urinary tract it is known as pyelonephritis (a kidney infection). Symptoms from a lower urinary tract include painful urination and either frequent urination or urge to urinate (or both), while those of pyelonephritis include fever and flank pain in addition to the symptoms of a lower UTI. In the elderly and the very young, symptoms may be vague. The main causal agent of both types is Escherichia coli, however other bacteria, viruses or fungus may rarely be the cause.
So, the quick answer to the question- What Is a Urinary Tract Infection or UTI- is any infection involving a part of the urinary tract system. Cystitis is the most common type of UTI, usually in the lower urinary tract- the urethra and or the bladder. An upper urinary tract infection involves the ureters which lead to the kidneys. If left untreated, the infection can spread to the kidneys, where it becomes much more serious. Like any problem or illness, the sooner you address the issue the better. You can read more on this at wikipedia. Just go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urinary_tract_infection.
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