Difference Between Bladder Infection and UTI

Bladder Infection vs UTI

Our body creates unnecessary compounds in the form of waste.  One of the things that our body does to remove urine wastes is the process of urination, or peeing, in common terms.  Now, that’s a way to remove the wastes, and what is good about this event is that it is perfectly natural. This is just the body’s way of maintaining health and preventing against any forms of damage to the body.

What if you suddenly felt the inability to urinate even after a great effort? Or you feel a burning sensation in your abdomen during urination? The sensation or pain could be from mild to a serious disturbance to your normal urination. Basically, that would indicate that something is wrong with the urinary system. You may have either a bladder infection or a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Let us have a short discussion on the urinary system  to get a clear picture.  The urinary system involves the kidneys which filter blood and produce urine. Afterwards, the urine waste is accumulated in the urinary bladder.  After some time, you feel the urge to urinate because urine has already reached a certain amount, thus you voluntarily release the muscles involved in urination.  Urine now passes out of the urinary tract (ureters) to the urethra, which is different between males and females.  From this point, we can now see how a bladder infection and UTI differ.

Bladder infection here refers to your urinary bladder.  In medical terms, it is called cystitis.  In this case, harmful substances or bacteria have somehow gotten their way into the muscles in your bladder. These pathogens cause inflammation and infection in the bladder. This usually occurs due to various reasons, although one common reason is inadequate emptying of the bladder.  This action allows urine to stagnate inside the bladder, which can be a haven for bacteria over time. When that happens, the bacteria  infect the cells that are in the bladder itself.

UTI on the other hand, is a collective term for infection in the lower urinary tract, usually the ureters and the urethra.  Inflammation and infection also occurs in the affected areas, and the causes are usually due to bacteria that enter through the opening in the urethra.  Pain and painful urination are common symptoms for this type of infection.

You can read more if you want to know further since this article only provides basic information on the topic.

Summary:

1. The urinary tract is responsible for removing urine and maintaining body fluid balance.

2. Bladder infection, or cystitis, is the infection and inflammation of the bladder due to the presence of harmful pathogens inside the bladder itself.

3. UTI is an infection in the lower urinary tract, presumably the ureters and the urethra.

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