Urinary tract infections are often associated with painful urination or a burning sensation, so when Tanya Roberts’ longtime partner revealed that her death occurred after hospitalization for complications from one, it was a shock to many.
But what Roberts was supposed to be suffering is different from the more common UTI that is experienced by up to 60% of women, an expert told Fox News.
“Having a UTI is a very common thing for a woman,” said Maria Sophocles, a physician, gynecologist and sexual medicine specialist at the Women’s Healthcare of Princeton. “Some have recurrent urinary tract infections, that is, if you have a urinary tract infection within three months after the original infection – which is mainly reinfection.”
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Sophocles said that UTIs are generally easy to treat and diagnose for doctors because of the symptoms they cause, such as burning when urinating, blood in the urine or the frequent need to urinate.
“It’s something you want to treat if you have one, because UTIs start mainly in the lower urinary tract, which is the bladder and the urethra,” she said. “While in the lower urinary tract it is not dangerous, but it is uncomfortable.”
However, if the infection is not treated or detected, the infection can rise and reach the kidneys or other organs. It is not clear whether Roberts had an underlying health problem or whether she had sought treatment for an ICU prior to her hospitalization, but Lance O’Brien told Fox News earlier this week that she was experiencing complications from an ICU that spread to your kidneys, liver and gallbladder before “getting into your blood”.
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Sophocles, who was not involved in Roberts’ treatment, said that upper urinary tract infections are much more likely to take a patient to the hospital, and when a death from UTI occurs “it is almost never because of direct and simple lower UTI. “
“It is almost always people who have kidney infection from upper urinary tract infection, almost always older people and almost always people who are in the hospital,” she said, adding that those who develop low urinary tract infections (UTI) and seek immediate treatment are unlikely to have any of the serious complications symptoms.
“Treatment for lower urinary tract infections is simple,” she said. “It is an antibiotic, anywhere from a three to seven day course to control bacterial infection. Once in the upper urinary tract, you may need IV antibiotics in the hospital. If that was what Tanya Roberts was hospitalized or treated for – the bacterial infection was not under control. “
Roberts’ longtime partner said she was hospitalized for complications from an ICU that went to the kidney, liver, gallbladder and “blood”.
(Photo by Paul Archuleta / FilmMagic)
Hydration, said Sophocles, is critical to preventing UTIs, as well as ensuring that the vagina remains full of estrogen, especially for postmenopausal women. Many also believe that urinating after sex can help prevent infections, as sex acts as a mechanism for bacteria to enter the vagina, but Sophocles points out that hydration to ensure that the bladder is full before urinating is more efficient.
“When we acidify the urine – like taking a vitamin C supplement – the bacteria don’t like it, so that’s another preventive measure,” she said. “There are also prescription drugs that are not antibiotics, but an antibacterial that prevents the bacteria from attaching to the bladder wall.”
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Cranberry extract supplements have proven useful, she added.
Despite the prevention and recognition of symptoms, in rare cases it is possible that a UTI will not be detected, he warned. In such cases, if urine appears suddenly or if you see blood and are possibly suffering from low back pain or fever and chills, you should see a doctor, said Sophocles.