US Medical Term · conditions
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Infección de las vías urinarias (IVU)
Also: Infección urinaria (regional variant)
What it means
A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a condition in which bacteria invade and grow in the urinary tract: the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. Most urinary tract infections occur in the bladder or urethra. MedlinePlus says UTIs are the second most common type of infection in the body, and signs include pain or burning when urinating, an urge to urinate often, pressure in the lower belly, and urine that smells bad or looks cloudy or reddish. People of any age or sex can get UTIs, but about four times as many women get them as men. A doctor can tell whether a person has a UTI with a urine test. The National Cancer Institute dictionary lists fever, chills, and pain in the back or lower abdomen as other signs.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Infección de las vías urinarias (IVU)
- Gender and article
- feminine: la infección de las vías urinarias
- Pronunciation
- een-fek-SYOHN deh lahs VEE-ahs oo-ree-NAH-ryahs
| Other Spanish terms | Where it is used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| infección urinaria | General | The name MedlinePlus en español gives under 'Otros nombres', and the entry name in the NCI Spanish dictionary. |
| infección del tracto urinario | General | Listed after 'También se llama' in the NCI Spanish dictionary entry. |
| infección del aparato urinario | General | Listed after 'También se llama' in the NCI Spanish dictionary entry. |
| IU | General | Abbreviation given in the NCI Spanish dictionary entry, where the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia uses IVU. |
Infección de las vías urinarias (IVU) appears in that form in the MedlinePlus en español encyclopedia, which opens with una infección de las vías urinarias o IVU and then uses the abbreviation, as in la mayoría de las IVU. The noun is feminine: la infección, una IVU. The MedlinePlus en español topic page is titled Infecciones de las vías urinarias and gives infección urinaria under Otros nombres. The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary enters the term as infección urinaria and lists infección de vías urinarias, infección del aparato urinario, infección del tracto urinario and the abbreviation IU as other names.
Names by location in the encyclopedia article are cistitis or infección vesical (bladder), pielonefritis or infección renal (kidneys) and uretritis (urethra). Symptom words on the topic page are dolor o ardor al orinar (pain or burning when you urinate) and urgencia frecuente de orinar (an urge to urinate often). The test words in the encyclopedia article are análisis de orina and urocultivo.
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Patient | It burns when I urinate, and I need to go all the time. | Me arde al orinar, y tengo ganas de orinar a cada rato. |
| Clinician | Since when have you had these symptoms? | ¿Desde cuándo tiene estos síntomas? |
| Patient | Since Monday. My urine also looks cloudy and smells bad. | Desde el lunes. Además, la orina se ve turbia y huele mal. |
| Clinician | Do you have a fever or pain in your back or side? | ¿Tiene fiebre o dolor en la espalda o en el costado? |
| Patient | No fever, but I feel pressure in my lower belly. | No tengo fiebre, pero siento presión en la parte baja del abdomen. |
| Clinician | Have you had a urinary tract infection before? | ¿Ha tenido antes una infección de las vías urinarias? |
| Clinician | I need a urine sample so we can do a urine test. | Necesito una muestra de orina para hacerle una prueba de orina. |
| Patient | I have diabetes. Does that raise my risk of these infections? | Tengo diabetes. ¿Eso aumenta mi riesgo de tener estas infecciones? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) |
| Spanish (Español) | Infección de las vías urinarias (IVU) |
| Chinese (中文) | 尿路感染 |
| Korean (한국어) | 요로 감염 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Nhiễm trùng đường tiết niệu |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Impeksyon sa Ihi (UTI) |
| Portuguese (Português) | Infecção do trato urinário (ITU) |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | การติดเชื้อทางเดินปัสสาวะ |
| Japanese (日本語) | 尿路感染症 |
Where you'll see it
Related ICD-10-CM category
ICD-10-CM code: N39 → Other disorders of urinary systemRelated terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: Kidneys and urinary system
All terms in this area: Kidneys and urinary system — Riñones y vías urinarias
Sources
- Urinary Tract Infections — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Infecciones de las vías urinarias — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- Infección urinaria en adultos — MedlinePlus en español (Enciclopedia médica), Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- urinary tract infection — NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms — National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH
- infección urinaria — Diccionario de cáncer del NCI — Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NCI), NIH
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026