“I have repeated urine infections. I'm also diabetic. What can the cause be?”
I'm diabetic type 2 and on metformin, luraglitide, and glicticide. I'm on antibiotics yet again for a urinary infection. What could be the cause of repeated urinary infections?
Female | 58 years old
Medications: Luraglitide metformin glicticide candestarten
Conditions: Fibromyalgia c.o.p.d diabetes2 blood pressure osteoarthritis
6 Answers
Generally, urinary tract infections are more common, more severe, and carry worse outcomes for people with diabetes. UTI risk increases for all diabetics because extra sugar in the urine builds up, causing the growth of extra bacteria which leads to infection in the bladder. Better control of your diabetes improve repeated UTI.
Vijaya A. Ganta
Endocrinology-Diabetes
If diabetes is not under you can have repeated infections,
UTI can be caused from numerous things, but it can be because the blood glucose is high. If your blood sugar is out of control, your kidneys increase the sugar in your urine, causing risk for frequent UTI.
This is a great and VERY important question.
Women have a shorter urethra (urine tubing), and as such are more apt to get urinary tract infections (UTIs). Diabetes and hyperglycemia (high sugars) precipitate UTIs. Like humans, bacteria and fungi love sugar. So when our sugars are high, they spill into our urine and "collect" unwanted bacteria and fungi. These cause inflammation and we perceive this as pain.
Hence, controlling sugars is important. One class of medications called SGLT2-inhibitors, you may want to avoid. These medications work by increasing sugar excretion into the urine.
I would consider a urinalysis to see if it is truly BACTERIA or FUNGI / YEAST. It may be that you need a medication directed at yeast like fluconazole.
Aside from good sugar control and using appropriately targeted antibiotics and antifungals, there is not much option.
Hope this helps and sorry you're going through that!
CH
Women have a shorter urethra (urine tubing), and as such are more apt to get urinary tract infections (UTIs). Diabetes and hyperglycemia (high sugars) precipitate UTIs. Like humans, bacteria and fungi love sugar. So when our sugars are high, they spill into our urine and "collect" unwanted bacteria and fungi. These cause inflammation and we perceive this as pain.
Hence, controlling sugars is important. One class of medications called SGLT2-inhibitors, you may want to avoid. These medications work by increasing sugar excretion into the urine.
I would consider a urinalysis to see if it is truly BACTERIA or FUNGI / YEAST. It may be that you need a medication directed at yeast like fluconazole.
Aside from good sugar control and using appropriately targeted antibiotics and antifungals, there is not much option.
Hope this helps and sorry you're going through that!
CH
Blood glucose trends must be variable and unsteady -- should check blood glucoses 3-4 times a day to assess. Also, reduce simple carbohydrates in diet and increase water.
To answer this question I would need more information. How well is the diabetes controlled? Have you seen a urologist? There are many causes of recurrent UTI. See a urologist to be sure there is no anatomical problem with the urinary tract (polyps, etc.). Other causes are sexual trauma, etc. All these causes can be corrected. As for diabetes, high sugar content of the urine can lead to UTI as can partial paralysis of the bladder from diabetic neuropathy. Again, a urologist can test for urinary retention. As to the diabetes, be sure to be in control so there is minimal sugar in the urine. Luraglitide and metformin are good treatment. The glicticide is a sulphonylurea drug that is "out of style" today because of hypoglycemia and wt. gain. You should not take a drug of the SGLT2 class since these drugs increase the sugar in the urine. If your diabetes is not in good control, I would recommend starting a GLP2 RA or insulin to get optimal control and keep sugar out of the urine.
