Older people are one of the groups most vulnerable in society in many aspects. The quality of life of people is significantly reduced when they reach a certain age due to the passage of time and the deterioration that this entails, as well as various diseases. One of them, without going any further, is urine infectionwhose prevalence increases with age, since aging produces an alteration of the defense mechanisms against it.
Although it is true that it is a condition that in young people does not have to present great complications and it is solved with a treatment of antibiotics or, in some cases, with the intake of blueberries, in the elderly the situation is more problematic. Urinary infection in the elderly population can trigger other pathologies and, in the worst case, septicemia that ends life.
Causes of urinary tract infections in the elderly
“Urinary tract infection is the most prevalent infectious process in institutionalized elderly, reaching prevalence figures between 20 and 50% (…) In nursing homes they have been described as risk factors for urinary infections the following: previous cerebrovascular accidents, mental and functional deterioration, bladder catheterization and previous antibiotic treatment”, explains Dr. Gómez Ayala in an article in the journal Professional Pharmacy.
Urine infection is more common in the elderly because aging implies the weakened immune system and its action against disease, but also due to the accumulation of bacteria. As explained by the Los Nogales social and health centers, “the bladder muscles loosen and when the elderly go to urinate, it does not completely empty, leaving residual urine that contributes to the growth of these bacteria.”
sudden onset of incontinence
One of the most common symptoms of urinary tract infection in the elderly is incontinence. Added to this is a strong need to urinate that does not go away, a burning sensation when urinating, frequent urination in small amounts, urine that is cloudy or dark in appearance and has a strong odor and, for women, pain in the pelvic area and around the pubic bone.
acute confusional syndrome
“He acute confusional syndrome It is a clinical picture that is characterized by an acute and fluctuating change in the mental state, with inattention and altered levels of consciousness for a period of less than 3 months, although it can last longer. Its duration is variable, from a few hours to weeks or a few months,” they say in an article in the magazine Medicine. One of the triggers for this confusion may be, precisely, a urine infectionso it is convenient to carry out an early treatment of the disease and avoid bladder catheterization.
Loss of appetite or loss of autonomy
The discomfort caused by the urinary infection can lead to a loss of appetite and/or autonomy. Loss of appetite is common in pyelonephritis (infection that has gone up to the kidneys). As well as the fever, nausea and vomiting that usually arise in a more advanced stage of the disease together with the low back pain and prostration.
Urinary sepsis or septicemia
Sepsis is caused by the overwhelming response and life threatening body to an infection. It is a complication of an infection that is produced by a generalized immune response that damages the tissues themselves. It is usually the result of the infection spreading throughout the body through the bloodstream, although this is not always the case. In the case of stem from a urinary infectionit is possible that the kidney stops working little by little, so it is convenient to tackle this problem as soon as possible through different drugs.
Preventive measures for urine infection
Before an elderly person comes to experience some of the dangers that can be produced a urine infectionthe ideal is to maintain certain prevention habits, as they say from Los Nogales:
- Lots of hydration.
- Balanced diet rich in fiber to avoid constipation.
- Encourage mobility, changes in posture and moderate exercise.
- Maintain daily hygiene, paying attention to the genital area.
References
Ayala, GA (2009, July 1). Urinary infection in the elderly | Professional Pharmacy. Accessed at https://www.elsevier.es/es-revista-farmacia-profesional-3-articulo-infeccion-urinaria-el-anciano-13139887 on February 24, 2023.
SEGG. (2013, February 1). Blueberry, shield against infections. Viewed at https://www.segg.es/ciudadania/2013/02/01/arandano-escudo-frente-a-las-infecciones on February 24, 2023.
Pérez Pérez, Yanay, Turro Mesa, Lucía Nivia, Mesa Valiente, Rita, & Turro Caró, Eloy. (2018). Peculiarities of acute confusional syndrome in the elderly. MEDISAN, 22(5), 543-550. Retrieved from http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1029-30192018000500012&lng=es&tlng=es on February 24, 2023.