One of the most common infections, urinary tract infection (UTI) accounts for nearly 8.1 million visits to the doctor every year. UTI is an infection caused by microbes, which are microorganisms not visible to the naked eye. Most UTIs are caused by bacteria, but some are also caused by fungi or viruses. The majority of UTIs are caused by the bacterium escherichia coli (E.Coli) . While urinary tract infection (UTI) early warning signs are many, the frequent urge to urinate and cloudy or strange-smelling urine are common ones. Sometimes, people suffering from UTI might experience a burning sensation as well.

More on urinary tract infection
The urinary tract is composed of kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Research suggests that women have a 50 percent risk of developing UTI in their lifetime. Some of the key factors that can increase the likelihood of UTI include unsafe sexual intercourse, having a urinary catheter, some contraception types, bowel incontinence, kidney stones, poor personal hygiene, blocked urine flow, menopause, pregnancy, use of tampons or spermicides, and heavy usage of antibiotics. Also, a UTI can affect your bladder (cystitis), urethra (urethritis) or kidneys (pyelonephritis). The signs can vary accordingly. It is important to learn more about the urinary tract infection (UTI) early warning signs so that one can take timely action.

Some of the urinary tract infection (UTI) early warning signs include:

• Frequent urge to urinate
  This happens because the walls of your bladder become more active in the case of UTI.
• Burning sensation while peeing
  When you are suffering from UTI, your bladder signals your brain to urinate more often. And this happens because the culprit bacteria irritate the urinary tract lining, which is delicate. This irritation leads to a burning sensation.
• Fatigue
  The secretion of interleukins can cause excessive tiredness during UTI. This is essentially an immune response.
• Fever or chills
  This is usually a sign that the infection has reached the kidneys. This might be accompanied by pain in the upper back or sides as well.
• Dark-colored, cloudy, bloody and strange-smelling urine
  This can happen due to bacterial contamination of the urine.
• Pain or pressure in the lower abdomen in women
  This happens when the bladder is infected and passing urine is painful.
• Rectal pain in men
  Bladder infection due to UTI can cause rectal pain in men. It can also happen when you can’t pass sufficient urine.
• Nausea and vomiting
  These signs appear usually when the UTI affects the kidneys or the upper urinary tract. In this case, the toxins don’t get flushed out from the body effectively.

Watching out for urinary tract infection (UTI) early warning signs is important as a delay can cause severe kidney problems and even failure. When untreated, the infection can spread through the bloodstream and cause life-threatening situations too. Maintaining good hygiene and avoiding dirty public toilets are also important for preventing UTI or its recurrence.