Affecting both men and women, a urinary tract infection can affect either the lower urinary tract or the upper urinary tract. Contamination of microbes in the urethra and bladder happens when there is a lower tract infection and this is a more common condition. The kidneys and ureters are affected when there is an upper tract urinary infection. Upper tract infections are generally rare but can be severe.

Because they affect different parts of the urinary tract, the symptoms of both lower tract and upper tract infections are also different. The early warning signs of lower urinary tract infections are:

• An increase in the frequency or urge to urinate with very little urine being passed. This urge can persist even after the bladder is emptied.
• A discomfort, pain, or burning sensation can occur during urination. This is called dysuria.
• Urine can be cloudy or turbid, and not transparent, like how it is ordinarily. Sometimes it could be a dark brownish color instead of being the normal pale yellow.
• In some cases, there could be blood in the urine. It is then called hematuria.
• Extremely peculiar, distinct, or foul-smelling urine that smells like fish surfaces when it is contaminated with certain bacteria.
• Fever or shivering, an early warning sign of infection in the body, can also affect the person with a urinary tract infection;
• When not treated immediately after being detected, there could be pain or cramping in the upper and/or lower back, and/or in the lower abdomen.
• In severe cases, even nausea and vomiting could be symptoms of a UTI.
• While the early warning signs of upper urinary tract infection in both men and women are similar, there is one difference in the symptoms of lower urinary tract infection. In men, there could be a pain in the rectum while in women there could be a pain in the pelvic region.

In lower tract urinary infection, when the infection affects the bladder in men and women, it is called cystitis, and when it affects the urethra, it is called urethritis. In the upper tract urinary infection, when the kidneys are affected, it is called pyelonephritis. This has the potential to become a perilous condition if the bacterial infection in the urinary tract is not diagnosed and treated promptly. The infection could pass into the bloodstream via the kidneys and has the potential to cause extremely low blood pressure, severe shock, and sometimes even death. This fatal condition is called urosepsis.

A urine sample test is done to detect urinary infection in the lower tract, and in the progressive stage when it has reached the upper urinary tract, a complete blood count and blood culture test is done along with the urine test. An ultrasound, cystoscopy, and a computerized tomography (CT) scan are other tests that may be done in case the urinary tract infection continues recurring. It is ideal to consult a physician when the symptoms are first noticed and get the infection treated when it is in the lower urinary tract. The further it travels up the body, the more complications it is bound to create.