Urinary Tract Infection, You Can Learn From My Experience | Alzheimer's Reading Room

A popular myth is that urinary tract infections burn and because of this a person who is deeply forgetful can tell you they have a UTI. This is not true.

By Bob DeMarco
Alzheimer's Reading Room

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Yes, there is such a thing as a silent urinary tract infection. Silent means no clear cut sign of physical pain, no burning sensation, and no discernible odor. 

This explain in part why a person who is deeply forgetful cannot tell you they have a urinary tract infection. On the other hand, most of the women I know that get a UTI can tell you what is wrong before they go to the doctor.

 There are discernible symptoms of a UTI in the deeply forgetful, but the symptoms are rarely connected to UTI by caregivers. This is especially true of "new" or "less experienced" dementia caregivers.

Sadly, UTIs often go undetected for long periods of time in memory care facilities.What usually happens when a person who is deeply forgetful has a silent UTI? They usually evidence a change in behavior, a sudden change for the worse.

at Urinary Tract Infection, You Can Learn From My Experience