N39: Other disorders of urinary system

N39.0: Urinary tract infection, site not specified

The urinary passages include the ureters, bladder and urethra. Urine flows from both kidneys into the bladder via the ureters. The urethra channels the urine outward from the bladder.

In most cases the inflammation affects the urethra or bladder. The inflammation may cause pain when urinating. People often have to go to the toilet very frequently.

The urinary passages may become inflamed as a result of pathogens, for example. Women have urinary tract infections more frequently because the distance from the urethra to the anus is shorter. The urethra itself is also shorter. That makes it easier for pathogens to enter the bladder from the urethra.

If the pathogens then go up from the bladder into the ureter and kidneys, the kidneys may also become inflamed.