Urinary tract infection

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The urinary tract is the name given to the group of internal organs that collect, store and remove urine from the body.

The most common part of the urinary tract to get infection is the bladder. Infection here is called cystitis (see separate article). Cystitis is more common in women than men. It is thought that this is because the tube leading from the bladder to the outside (known as the urethra) is shorter in women than in men.

Cystitis in men is often associated with infection and inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis). A urinary infection that involves the urine collecting system of the kidney is called pyelitis. It has usually spread up the tubes that run from the kidneys to the bladder (the ureters).

When the infection also involves the substance of the kidney, it is called pyelonephritis (see article on Pyelonephritis).