Health Conditions

Who has it?

UTIs can occur in anyone, but the incidence varies by age and gender. Women generally experience UTIs more frequently than men and also have more recurrent infections. It is estimated that 50% of all women will suffer a symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) in their lifetime. Why women are more prone to UTIs than men is poorly understood. The anatomy of the female urinary tract is a likely factor. Men have a longer urethra, so bacteria have to travel much farther to cause a UTI. Also, the male prostate gland produces secretions that slow bacterial growth and may protect men from UTIs.

Children are more prone to getting UTIs than adults because of structural or functional abnormalities of the urinary tract that often are recognized after the UTI diagnosis. Among children between 1 and 18 years of age, females get UTIs more frequently than males. Among individuals older than 65, UTIs are experienced equally by men and women. In addition, seniors usually experience different symptoms than younger individuals − possibly because they have a harder time building up an immune response. The increased incidence of UTIs in older adults is most likely due to catheter use, strokes (because of resultant functional incapacities), enlarged prostate and incontinence, which are all more common in the elderly.