Can a urine infection really make you weak? After all, it is just some bacteria in your bladder which can easily be treated, right?

The answer is that most of the time a UTI or urinary tract infection is easily treated and other than some burning, frequency of urination with occasional bloody urine,this infection does not make you weak.

However, at times especially among very young or old persons, or those with serious underlying illnesses such as cancer on chemo, autoimmune diseases or severe anemia to name just a few, a UTI can be serious. The infection is capable of spreading to the kidneys, which is called pyelonephritis or throughout the blood stream (sepsis).

Dehydration, immune system suppression such as with chemo, kidneys that already aren’t working well (renal insufficiency or renal failure) are some conditions which tend to make simple UTIs worse.

For simple UTIs a few days worth of antibiotics will do the trick. For urine infections which have spread to the kidneys or even worse throughout the body, then at the very least a longer course of antibiotics is needed or in some cases admission to the hospital with IV antibiotics and fluids.

Sometimes the antibiotics initially prescribed for UTI don’t work. This is usually because the bacteria are resistant to the chosen antibiotics. The initial antibiotic prescribed will depend on where you are, bacteria resistance is different in different areas.