Do you think you can get a UTI from a toilet seat? The fear of contracting UTIs from public toilet seats is common, but is this really possible? Read more to know.
What is a UTI?
Let us first investigate UTIs before answering whether or not public seats are harmful to us. A Urinary Tract infection, or UTI, is an infection that affects the parts of the urinary system, which include the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Women are more likely than men to have UTIs because their urethra (the tube that connects the bladder to where the urine passes out of the body) is shorter. This facilitates the entry of germs into the bladder. Hence, women are more at risk of contracting a UTI.
UTIs are very common. They affect 1 in every 5 women at some point in their lives. Although women tend to be more affected by UTIs, they can also affect men. Around 8 million to 10 million people visit doctors every year for UTIs.
What Causes A UTI?
A UTI is caused by bacteria or yeast entering the urinary tract. Once the infection enters the tract, it tends to multiply, leading to inflammation and pain. UTIs can be prevented by wiping from front to back after using the washroom. The urinary system is designed to keep out bacteria, but the defenses sometimes tend to fail, leading to an infection in the urinary tract.
UTIs are most common in women and frequently affect the bladder and urethra.
Types of UTIs
The following are the types of UTI that can be contracted:
Bladder Infection:
The infection of the bladder is caused by Escherichia coli, or E. coli. It is a bacteria that is often found in the gastrointestinal tract.
Sex might also lead to a bladder infection, but one need not be sexually active to get infected. Because the urethra is so close to the anus in women, there is a high risk of bacteria traveling from the anus to the urethra and causing a UTI.
Urethra Infection:
Infection of the urethra can occur when bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract spread from the anus to the urethra. Such infections can also be sexually transmitted and include herpes, chlamydia, and mycoplasma. Women are at a higher risk of getting such infections because their urethra is close to the vagina.
UTI Symptoms
If you have a UTI, you may have the following symptoms:
How is a UTI diagnosed?
To diagnose an UTI, the doctor or nurse will take a clean sample of urine. Then the sample of urine will be tested for bacteria to check if you have a UTI. The entire process can take a couple of days
If you have already had a UTI, the doctor may run a few more tests to rule out other problems. The tests include a cystogram and a cystoscopic exam. Cystography, or cystogram, is an imaging test that helps detect problems in the urinary tract. Cystoscopy is a procedure in which a small tube is inserted into the urethra and bladder to examine them.
How is a UTI treated?
Antibiotics are the most commonly used treatment for UTI. It is essential to take the antibiotics for the number of days they have been prescribed, and you might get better within a day or two. It is essential to get an UTI treated. If not, the infection can spread to the kidneys. Even then, antibiotics can treat the infections in the kidney, but if the infection gets into the bloodstream, it can be life threatening.
Can a public Toilet Seat give you A UTI?
We cannot get a UTI from a toilet, as the urethra does not touch the seat. As long as the urethra does not come into contact with the seat, we are safe from certain infections. The toilet seat is not a common way for bacteria to enter our bodies. The only way one can get infected is by wiping themselves from back to front instead of the other way around or from allowing the surface of the toilet seat to come in contact with the urethral opening.
Conclusion
Now you know not only that it is nearly impossible to contract a UTI from a public seat but also about UTIs themselves. Visit a doctor if you see yourself suffering from the symptoms mentioned earlier. Rush to the hospital if you see blood in your urine.
Be mindful of the UTI symptoms and take the necessary precautions to prevent getting a UTI, and also seek the required treatment if you contract the infection.
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