Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Case Study: Diagnosis and Analysis

This case study presents a patient, Kerry, exhibiting symptoms indicative of a urinary tract infection (UTI). The assignment requires an initial diagnosis based on her symptoms, medical history (including past chlamydia and gonorrhea, current iron and vitamin C deficiency, oral contraceptive use, and family history of diabetes), and physical examination findings (temperature, BP, RR, and suprapubic tenderness). The initial diagnosis is UTI, given the reported frequent and urgent urination, burning sensation, and fever. The document then explores differential diagnoses, including interstitial cystitis, pelvic inflammatory diseases, and ovarian torsion, which may present similarly. It suggests diagnostic imaging (ultrasound or CT), urodynamic assessment, and cystoscopy as further diagnostic tools to confirm the final diagnosis. The document references several medical studies supporting the diagnosis and differential diagnosis.

CASE STUDY 1
Case Study

CASE STUDY 2
Case Study
The case is about Kerry, who presents to the hospital because of her sudden increase in
urgency to urinate. She has to go to urinate within every 5 minutes, and while urinating, she feels
a burning sensation. According to her medical history, she has had chlamydia and gonorrhea,
which was successfully treated with the use of antibiotic medications. Besides, she currently has
on-going iron and vitamin C deficiency. She is currently on the oral contraceptive pill and Ferro
Graduate C medications and based on his family history; her father has had a type 1 diabetes.
Kerry is a social drinker, occasional marijuana user, and sexually active with multiple partners.
Her physical examination indicates that she has a temperature of 38 degrees, BP of 100/60, RR
of 15, and has mild suprapubic tenderness with no vaginal discharge.
According to Kerry’s current pressing problems, health history, and physical
examination, the initial diagnosis is Urinary tract infection (UTI). UTI is a condition that results
when urethra, which connects to the kidney becomes infected. The main signs and symptoms of
UTI include pain when urinating, pain when having sexual intercourse, blood in urine, and
feeling of frequent and intense urge to urinate. Also, signs of fever with 38.3 degrees and above
are an indication of UTI. The Kerri’s health issue of having pain when urinating, pain when
having sex, and feeling of frequent and intense urge to urinate within every 5 minutes indicates
that she might be suffering from Urinary tract infection. Besides, her physical examination
indicates that she has a high temperature of 38 degrees Celsius, which shows that she is having a
fever which is also one of the signs of UTI (Foxman, 2014).
Kerry has a history of chlamydia, a bacterium that causes UTI thus an indication that she
is suffering from UTI (Alidjanov et al., 2014). Besides, Kerry has been practicing frequent,
intense, and rough sexual intercourse with multiple partners, both of which are risk factors for

CASE STUDY 3
UTI. Other risk factors that might have exposed Kerry to UTI is the use of contraceptive pills
and diabetes, where her father has had diabetes type 1. Other conditions that may present in a
similar way as UTI may include interstitial cystitis, pelvic inflammatory diseases, and ovarian
torsion (Flores et al., 2015).
Since interstitial cystitis, pelvic inflammatory diseases, and ovarian torsion manifests its
self in a similar way as UTI, further differential diagnosis is required to determine whether it is
really UTI. One of the differential diagnoses that the doctor is required to use is diagnostic
imaging (Ifergan et al., 2012). Diagnostic imaging involves assessing the patient’s urinary tract
with the use of ultrasound or CT. Another differential diagnosis that the nurse is required to use
is the use of urodynamic assessment. This involves the assessment whose aim is to determine
how well the urinary tract is storing and releasing urine (Hooton, 2012). Furthermore, the nurse
can use cystoscopy diagnostic assessment which will help the nurse to see inside the bladder and
urethra.

CASE STUDY 4
References
Alidjanov, J.F., Abdufattaev, U.A., Makhsudov, S.A., Pilatz, A., Akilov, F.A., Naber, K.G. and
Wagenlehner, F.M., 2014. New self-reporting questionnaire to assess urinary tract infections and
differential diagnosis: acute cystitis symptom score. Urologia internationalis, 92(2), pp.230-236.
Hooton, T.M., 2012. Uncomplicated urinary tract infection. New England Journal of
Medicine, 366(11), pp.1028-1037.
Flores, A.L., Walker, J.N., Caparon, M. and Hultgren, S.J., 2015. Urinary tract infections:
epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options. Nature reviews
microbiology, 13(5), p.269.
Foxman, B. (2014). Urinary tract infection syndromes: occurrence, recurrence, bacteriology, risk
factors, and disease burden. Infectious disease clinics of North America, 28(1), 1-13.
Ifergan, J., Pommier, R., Brion, M.C., Glas, L., Rocher, L. and Bellin, M.F., 2012. Imaging in
upper urinary tract infections. Diagnostic and interventional imaging, 93(6), pp.509-519.