Difference Between STI, UTI And STD

As a pharmacist or a person interested in health, you must have come across the abbreviation STI, STD AND UTI. STI stands for sexually transmitted infection, STD is sexually transmitted disease why UTI is urinary tract infections. In most cases, these abbreviations have been used interchangeably by health care workers and news reporters. This could be due to the fact that there is no clear cut definition. But there is a difference.

UTI

UTIs are a group of infections that affect the urinary tract of both male and females of all ages. The organism can be a bacteria, fungi, virus or parasite. The urinary tract consists of the bladder, urethra, kidney and ureter. UTI affects the bladder and urethra and serious cases affect the kidney.

Symptoms of UTI in male may be different from that in females. Some types of UTI may be asymptomatic in one gender causing a cascade of symptoms in the other gender.

Read Also: Sex with HIV/AIDS patients may not lead to contracting the infection

Mode of transmission can be through food, broken skin, oral, vagina and/or anal region through contact with the causing organism. It can also be contracted through oral, vagina and anal sex.

Symptoms

1. Urinary urgency or incontinence

2. Pain or burning sensation during urination

STI

Some infection can be contracted through one or more types of sexual acts. They include oral, anal and vagina sex. Sex can cause infection in two ways. When the partner is infected, they share body fluid with each other exposing the other to the infection. Also, sexual acts pushes organisms farther into the urethra.

Sex is not the only way of contracting STI. Sharing of needless, sharp objects like clippers and razors can expose people to certain types of STI.

Symptoms

They are asymptomatic. Getting tested is the only way to detect the presence of an infection.

Prevention is the use of the ABC rule which is abstinence, faithfulness and the use of barrier method during sex. Also, it is suggested to pee before and after every unprotected sexual act and to stay hydrated.

STD

Not all STI will progress into symptomatic stages. Some gender are asymptomatic to some STI infection. Also, not all diseases begin with an infection. However, when the infection progresses with an altered or impaired normal function of a body part, it is called an STD. These infections can alter the normal function and progress of any part of the body and not necessarily only the urinary or reproductive tract.

Symptoms

1. Urinary urgency and incontinence

2. Pain when urinating

3. Cloudy urine

4. Pelvic pain

Diagnosis

Symptoms of STD can be used as a basis for diagnosis. A confirmatory laboratory test is enough to confirm the type of infection and treatment guidelines.

Infectious organism
Image source: Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. | Wikimedia Commons(commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crab_louse_(251_23)_Female,_from_a_human_host.jpg)

Difference

From the explanation, UTI can be contracted through any means including sex but STI on the other hand can be contracted through sexual acts or other means like sharing needle but remain asymptomatic in the body. STD is an STI with symptoms that alter the normal functioning of some body parts. UTI can be a STD that progresses to STD. So, HIV can be regarded as an STI why AIDS is an STD.

Read Also: How to use female condom

It Is Complicated

But honestly, the use of new terms is sometimes more complicated than we think. STD was once called venereal disease. But because of the way it sounded to people, they coined more pleasing names to call it. Trying to differentiate between these words is now causing more confusion. STI are sexual infections without symptoms but UTIs are infection that can come from sex or other means which have symptoms. One may wonder why one 'infection' does not have symptoms. They defined STD as STI with symptoms where the body normal function is altered. Don't get me wrong, there are many other explanations of these terms out there that one will wonder if there is a perfect explanation. There is not because the words were never planned. They just became part of mainstream media that was adopted.

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