Almost everyone eats adiet that includes nitrates.
Most of the time, nitrates pass through our bodies without causing problems.
Bacteria can turn nitrates into similar compounds callednitrites, which are then excreted in urine.
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Read on to learn how nitrates turn into nitrites and whether nitrites are an accurate sign of a UTI.
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What Causes Nitrites in Urine?
Nitrates enter our bodies through the foods we eat.
About 25% of the nitrates you consume are transformed into nitrites by bacteria.
Most of the nitrites that formabout 75%leave your body through urine.
Symptoms of UTIs include:
Why Do Healthcare Providers Test for Nitrites in Urine?
It’s also possible to have a UTI without having nitrites in your urine.
The presence of nitrites in your urine can help your provider determine whether more testing is needed.
Your symptoms should begin to improve within a few days of starting treatment.
Be sure to take all your antibiotics, even if you’re feeling better.
This information will allow them to prescribe a more targeted antibiotic.
Complications and Warning Signs
In most cases, a simple course of antibiotics will resolve a UTI.
But some people will develop complicated infections that develop outside of the urinary tract, like the kidneys.
These UTIs don’t respond well to standard treatments.
Symptoms include severe abdominal or lower back pain, confusion, and fever.
However, some types of bacteria increase the amount of nitrites you pass through your urine.
Early diagnosis and treatment of a UTI can help you avoid severe complications like a kidney infection or sepsis.
You pass nitrites from your body through your urine, and they’re normally not a cause for concern.
Levels can increase if you have abacterial infectionand should come back down once the infection is treated.
A positive nitrite test usually means you have a UTI.
Your age and overall health factor in.
In many cases, your UTI symptoms should begin to improve within a few days of starting antibiotic treatment.
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