Living Well Maggie sat zombielike under the scorching rays...
Upon coaxing her to go inside, that's when her adult daughter Megan noticed a few items were completely out of place in the kitchen.
Her dad said Maggie hadn't been acting like herself for days... like putting things away in the wrong places and forgoing her daily cooking routine for carryout.
Megan initially suspected her mom was dehydrated, but Maggie didn’t snap out of her confused state even after drinking some water. So a few hours later, the trio found themselves at the emergency room.
As Dr. Erika Kube talked to her quiet patient, Maggie would dissolve into fits of giggles instead of answering questions normally.
It wasn't a head injury from a fall or a knock to the head. Nor was it dementia – the strange changes in Maggie's mental state came on in just a matter of days, not years. Blood tests and a CT scan of Maggie's brain only pointed to slight dehydration.
But then Kube remembered she hadn't gotten a urine sample from Maggie.
Even at a glance, the sample looked off. At the most, it should have been more yellow than the clear, strawlike color of normal urine to reflect her dehydration.
Instead, the sample was ominously cloudy and dark. And the results showed that Maggie had a urinary tract infection ("UTI").
This incredibly common infection occurs when bacteria from stool or even skin get pushed into your urethra. As many as 8 million Americans get UTIs each year.
Our female readers in particular are probably familiar with the signs... like seeing blood in the bowl and feeling a sting as you try to pee for what seems like the millionth time.
You've probably got the drill down pat... chugging fluids like there's no tomorrow and then popping over to your nearest outpatient-care center if you're still not feeling so hot or feeling worse after a couple of days.
But the older you get, the more likely you'll see completely different signs...
As Kube, Maggie's doctor, explained in 2021 in the Columbus Dispatch (emphasis added)...
Altered mental status is often the only symptom of a UTI in an elderly person. Behavior such as increased confusion, hallucinations, agitation, dizziness, falls, and poor motor skills are often mistaken for early stages of dementia, but all can be caused by a UTI.
Also called delirium, this rapid worsening of the mental state is more common than you'd think. It's found in nearly 30% of older folks with UTIs.
A 2018 study estimated that infection triggers roughly half of all cases of delirium in seniors. As for the reason why, scientists suspect a UTI triggers inflammation that can disrupt how our neurons function.
And UTIs are the second-most-common type of infection in adults aged 65 and over at hospitals and community-living centers (with lung infections ranked No. 1).
Without proper treatment, the infection can spread from your bladder to your kidneys, permanently damaging them.
You could even end up with a blood infection. Called sepsis, it's a serious condition that can lead to multiple organ failure, amputation, and death. According to a 2020 U.K. study, UTIs beat out skin infections and respiratory-tract infections in raising sepsis risk – no matter the age.
To make matters worse, our risk of developing UTIs increases with age. And just like with Maggie, UTIs unfortunately have a habit of showing up in unexpected ways when you're older...
You can see just how tough it can be to catch and treat a sneaky UTI. But you can lessen the chances of getting this infection simply by staying hydrated.
Researchers believe hydration alone can solve half of all UTI cases by flushing the bacteria out with your urine.
As we get older, many of us might end up with urinary incontinence ("UI"), which means we can't control our bladders as well and end up with leaks.
If you're struggling with UI, you might be tempted to cut down on your fluid intake to prevent an accident. But cutting down too much can make you dehydrated, which can lead to a medley of problems – including UTIs...
- Your urine becomes concentrated (it's why the color gets darker) and irritates the bladder walls.
- You can end up with spasms and UI. Or worse, you could develop interstitial cystitis where you have the urgent and intensely painful need to urinate.
- Your urine volume decreases, and that means less fluid to push out bacteria from your body, putting you at risk of developing a UTI.
- You can end up with kidney stones or even kidney failure.
When it comes to hydration, choose your form wisely... Go easy on caffeine and alcohol. Both are diuretics, meaning they increase the amount of water your kidneys remove.
On average, it takes older folks 33% longer than the young bucks to metabolize caffeine. So if you're fond of tea or coffee, that's fine – just try to limit caffeinated beverages to the mornings.
I love my morning cup (or two) of joe, but I make sure to stop my caffeine intake in the early afternoon. Cutting yourself off earlier means you're less likely to end up waking up and blearily stumbling to the bathroom to urinate, allowing you to log more hours of high-quality sleep.
Atypical UTI symptoms in older folks go hand in hand with age-related changes in our plumbing. For more on those changes and for my four other top tips on how to reduce your UTI risk, be sure to check out this issue of Retirement Millionaire. Or go right here to sign up for a trial look at my monthly newsletter.
What We're Reading...
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Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
October 15, 2024