Home 5 Chronic UTI symptoms

Chronic UTI symptoms

UTI symptoms are commonly dismissed as being a significant sign of infection when a urine test comes back negative. However, some experts say symptoms are the best indicator of infection currently available. Chronic UTI symptoms can include some (or all) of the symptoms expected during an acute UTI, along with other constant or intermittent pelvic and/or bladder symptoms. Typically, people with untreated chronic UTI will suffer these painful, relentless and often debilitating symptoms for many years or even entire lifetimes.

UTI symptoms

The following symptoms are based on patient data collected by leading global UTI expert, the late Professor Malone-Lee, from University College London. Symptoms fall into four categories—pain, voiding, overactive bladder and urinary incontinence¹. You can have symptoms from all four categories, or just one.

Despite popular belief, you do not need to have burning/painful urination (dysuria) to have a UTI. This is considered a ‘classic’ acute UTI symptom. However, dysuria is far less common with chronic UTI.

The Venn diagram further down is based on patients at the London clinic and shows the distribution of symptoms from the four different categories².

Stress Urinary Incontinence

Stress Urinary Incontinence
Cough/sneeze incontinence
Exercise incontinence
Laughing incontinence
Passive incontinence
Bending incontinence
Standing incontinence

Voiding

Hesitancy
Reduced stream
Intermittent stream
Straining to void
Terminal dribbling
Post-void dribbling
Double voiding

Pain

Supra pubic pain
Filling bladder pain
Voiding bladder pain
Post-void bladder pain
Pain fully relieved by voiding
Pain unrelieved by voiding
Loin pain
Iliac Fossa pain
Pain radiating to genitals
Pain radiating to legs
Dysuria (painful urination)*
Urethral pain

Over Active Bladder

Urgency
Urgency incontinence
Latchkey urgency
Latchkey incontinence
Waking urgency
Waking incontinence
Running water urgency
Running water incontinence
Cold urgency
Anxiety urgency
Premenstrual aggravation

Chronic UTI Worksheet

To help people understand their symptoms and navigate the challenges of chronic UTI, we have developed the Chronic UTI Worksheet. This easy-to-use tool provides a structured way to document symptoms, track pain and monitor treatment, and enhances communication between patients and healthcare providers. The worksheet has been reviewed and edited by Dr Sheela Swamy, PhD MRCOG. Download the worksheet and share with your doctor.

Symptoms triggers

Patients report common triggers that can bring on or increase their symptoms include:

sexual intercourse
internal gynaecological procedures
vigorous exercises such as horse
riding and cycling
stress
bowel movements
alcohol
some foods that individuals are sensitive to.

Distribution of symptoms

Attributions

^{1, 2}The symptoms list and Venn diagram is shared courtesy of the late Professor James Malone-Lee, Emeritus Professor of Nephrology, University College London, United Kingdom. In addition to his involvement in chronic UTI research, Professor Malone-Lee headed a private clinic specialising in treating chronic bladder pain, chronic pelvic pain, recurrent urinary infection, voiding problems and overactive bladder symptoms. He specialised in this field of medicine for over three decades. The need for chronic UTI diagnosis and treatment is sadly in demand, and increasing. Now managed by his son, Dr Matthew Malone-Lee, the London clinic has been considered the world-leader in chronic UTI diagnosis and treatment, with patients from all over the world visiting the clinic. You can find contact details for the clinic here. You can also look up Professor Malone-Lee’s 2019 book ‘Cystitis Unmasked’.