Diseases & Conditions
How did I get a urinary tract infection?
Q. I am 68 years old, and recently I was diagnosed with my first urinary tract infection. Why did this happen, and could I have prevented it?
A. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are less common in men than in women. When UTIs occur in men over age 50, they often trace to an underlying problem with bladder emptying resulting from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In BPH, the prostate gland enlarges, and can eventually compress the tube that drains the bladder.
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