English for PTA

Urinary Tract Infection

Abbildung © Juergen Moers / www.medicalpicture.de © Juergen Moers / www.medicalpicture.de

Women are more likely to develop a cystitis than men. Later in life, men tend to suffer from an enlarged prostate gland, which leads to urinary tract complications.

The urinary system is made up of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. Although any part of the urinary system may become infected, most usual it is the lower urinary tract, i.e. the urethra and bladder. At least every second woman will suffer from a urinary tract infection (UTI) at least once in her life. A UTI of the bladder, for instance, is extremely painful and annoying and is usually treated with antibiotics. Women are more prone to such infections due to the shortness of the urethra and its close proximity to the genital and anal areas.

An infection of the lower urinary tract system, if left untreated, may spread to the kidneys, which can have serious consequences. Among the most serious complications are spreading of the infection throughout the whole body causing sepsis, kidney damage and even kidney failure. Although self-medication may be recommended in uncomplicated cases, it is otherwise necessary to especially refer children, pregnant women, diabetics and men who are middle-aged or older to a doctor or specialist. As men grow older the prostate gland, which surrounds the tube of the urethra like a doughnut, tends to increase in size. This is one of the main causes of UTIs in men.

Pharmacy customer (a middle-aged man): Hello.
PTA: Good afternoon, what can I do for you?

Well, it this, you see, … mmh, eh, I’m having problems going to the toilet.
Do you mean stool or …?

The other.
Oh! I see! Okay! Would you mind telling me, please, what your symptoms are?

It’s well, it’s frequently needing to go. And having some difficulties going. Sometimes a little painful. You know.
I see. And do you have diabetes?

Not that I know of. No.
Have you noticed any blood in your urine?

Yes, but only very little as far as I can see.
And you haven’t had an injury to either of your kidneys recently? You know some type of trauma such as a hit or bruise.

No, I haven’t.
I have one or two more questions before I recommend anything to you. Just bear with me! Do you need to take any medication such as aspirin, or penicillin?

No, I never have headaches and it’s been a very long time since I last took any antibiotics.
And you are not taking bloodthinner such as heparin in some form at the moment, are you?

Nope!
Last question! You haven’t participated in any strenuous exercise in the recent past, have you? Contact sports that type of thing.

No, I don’t participate in any. And I wouldn’t consider Nordic Walking or cycling as strenuous, would you?
No, you’re right there!

So, what do you think I should do?
As you don’t have a high temperature, I recommend that you go to your family doctor.

And you can’t recommend any self-medication?
I could give you stinging nettle or rye grass extract. But they are both no replacement for prescription medicine and qualified examination.

What should I do when I go to the doctor?
Your doctor will ask you much the same type of questions that I just have. He or she will require a sample of your urine, middle stream, for purposes of analysis. You might also be asked questions such as: „Do you have to urinate frequently at night?“ or; „Do you have lower back pain in the region of the kidneys?“ and; „Do you have a weak urine stream?“

Why should I go to the GP at all? I mean, I feel quite well other than the problems that I told you about.
From what you have explained, it’s possible that, like a lot of men over 45, your problem stems from the prostate gland. The urethra, that’s the tube that transports urine out of the body, is surrounded by the prostate. If you can imagine a tube going through a doughnut. As some men grow older, the prostate grows with them and becomes enlarged. This in turn places pressure on the urethra and causes, among other things, reduced urine flow.

You definitely think that I should make an appointment?
Certainly! You see, only your GP or a specialist can determine the exact cause of your symptoms. Some men can have an enlarged prostate gland and never have problems, on the other hand there are men who have slightly enlarged prostates and have immense difficulty urinating.

Is there anything that I can do to prepare for the appointment?
It’s a good idea to ask at the doctor’s surgery if there are any pre-appointment restrictions before a diagnosis is made.

I see. Do you think I should make a list of my symptoms? I always get the impression that time is so limited at the doctor’s.
Definitely! You should not only make a list of your symptoms, but also anything that might seem unimportant or unrelated. It’s also sensible to make a list of any medication that you take regularly, any illnesses that you are being treated for, and make sure to note down any nutritional supplements that you regularly take.

Is it a good idea that I ask the doctor questions myself?
Yes! But it’s a good idea to be prepared for questions such as, „When do you notice the bleeding during urinating? Is it more at the beginning/ end of urination? Or, is it there all the time?“ If I were you, I’d take along a notepad and pen so that you can write down the doctor’s recommendations and any questions that might come into mind while at the surgery. Thank you so much for your help! You’re welcome!

Vocabulary
urinary tract infection Harnwegsinfekt
cystitis Blasenentzündung
enlarged prostate vergrößerte Prostata
gland Drüse
kidneys Nieren
ureters Harnleiter
bladder Blase
urethra Harnröhre
lower untere
prone to anfällig für
proximity unmittelbare Nähe
damage Schaden
kidney failure Nierenversagen
refer weiterleiten
middle-aged mittleren Alters
stool Stuhl-(gang)
painful schmerzhaft
injury Verletzung
recently in letzter Zeit
bruise Bluterguß, blauer Fleck
bear with me Haben Sie etwas Geduld
strenuous anstrengend
rye grass Weidelgras
middle stream (Urin) Mittelstrahl
pressure Druck
determine bestimmen, feststellen
difficulty Schwierigkeit
restrictions Einschränkungen
nutritional supplements Nahrungsergänzungsmittel