This week (11-17 March) Essex Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust (EPUT) is celebrating Nutrition and Hydration Week, an annual event which highlights how essential food and drink are to good health and wellbeing.
During this week, we are promoting the importance of boosting hydration, particularly amongst older adults, to help prevent against urinary tract infections (UTIs).
A large proportion of bloodstream infections are caused by E. coli bacteria, which is the predominant cause of UTIs and which can lead to severe infection in older adults living in the community.
A simple way of preventing UTIs is by drinking enough fluids. It is recommended that we aim to drink six to eight cups or glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower-fat milk and sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count.
Here are some symptoms you may experience with a possible UTI:
- Needing to pee more frequently
- Pain or burning sensation when peeing
- Needing to pee at night
- New pain in the lower tummy
- New incontinence or wetting yourself that is worse than usual
- Kidney pain or pain in the lower back
- Blood in pee
- Changes in behaviour – more agitated or confused
- General signs of infection
- Very low temperature of below 36 degrees celsius.
Successful management of UTIs requires a coordinated focus on prevention, early and accurate diagnosis, and appropriate treatment. If left unmanaged, UTIs can lead to severe infection, sepsis and in some cases death.