Home > Encyclopedia of Medicine > Urinary Anti-Infectives

Definition

Urinary anti-infectives are medicines used to treat or prevent infections of the urinary tract—the passage through which urine flows from the kidneys out of the body.

Purpose

Normally, no bacteria or other disease-causing organisms live in the bladder. Likewise, the urethra—the tubelike structure that carries urine from the bladder out of the body—usually has either no bacteria or not enough to cause problems. But the bladder, urethra, and other parts of the urinary tract may become infected when disease-causing organisms invade from other body regions or from outside the body. Urinary anti-infectives are used to treat such infections or to prevent them in people who get them often.

Description

Commonly used urinary anti-infectives include methenamine (Urex, Hiprex, Mandelamine), nalidixic acid (NegGram) and nitrofurantoin (Macrobid, Furatoin, and other brands). These medicines...