Suggestions for Additional Reading Additional Resources Introduction Urinary tract infections are a serious health problem affecting millions of people each year.
Women are especially prone to UTIs for reasons that are poorly understood.
One woman in five develops a UTI during her lifetime. UTIs in men are not so common, but they can be very serious when they do occur. The urinary system consists of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The key elements in the system are the kidneys, a pair of purplish-brown organs located below the ribs toward the middle of the back. The kidneys remove liquid waste from the blood in the form of urine, keep a stable balance of salts and other substances in the blood, and produce a hormone that aids the formation of red blood cells.