What is the Difference Between Thrush and UTI

Thrush and UTI are both infections that mainly affect women. Both these conditions may cause similar symptoms in women. It is also possible to contact thrush or UTI infections at the same time. However, these are two different conditions caused by two different causative agents.

The key difference between thrush and UTI is their cause. Thrush is a yeast infection in and around the vagina, while UTI is a bacterial infection in the urinary tract.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Thrush
3. What is UTI
4. Similarities – Thrush and UTI
5. Thrush vs UTI in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Thrush vs UTI
7. FAQ – Thrush and UTI

What is Thrush?

Thrush or vaginal thrush is a yeast infection in the vaginal region in women. The vagina usually has a delicate balance of bacteria and yeast. However, if Lactobacillus bacteria is low in the vagina, then the yeast called Candida albicans can grow excessively, leading to vaginal thrush. The typical symptoms of vaginal thrush may include itching and irritation with redness in and outside of the vagina, pain during intercourse, urinating or defecation, vaginal discharge, swelling of the labia, and tiredness or fatigue.

Figure 01: Thrush

Thrush can be diagnosed through medical history, physical symptoms evaluation, urine test, and blood test. Furthermore, treatment options for thrush may include oral antifungal medications such as fluconazole and topical antifungal medications such as miconazole and terconazole.

What is UTI?

UTI (urinary tract infection) is a bacterial infection of the urinary tract. It mainly affects women. UTI is usually caused by Escherichia coli. In UTI, bacteria enter the urethra and travel up into the bladder, where bacteria begin multiplying. UTI can cause a wide range of different symptoms, such as pain while urinating, unusual discharge from the vagina, blood in urine, a frequent urge to urinate, and lower abdominal pain that may radiate into the back and groin.

Figure 02: UTI

UTI can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation, urine test, urine culture, CT scan, and MRI. Furthermore, UTI is normally treated through antibiotics like trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, fosfomycin, nitrofurantoin, ceftriaxone, lifestyle changes (drinking plenty of water, avoiding drinks that may irritate bladder, and using heating pad) and alternative medicines like drinking cranberry juice.

Similarities Between Thrush and UTI

1. Thrush and UTI are two infections that affect women.
2. Both conditions can occur at the same time.
3. Both conditions can result in similar symptoms, such as pain while urinating, vaginal discharge, etc.
4. These conditions can be diagnosed through physical symptoms evaluation and urine test
5. They can be treated with specific medications.

Difference Between Thrush and UTI

Definition

1. Thrush is an infection of the vagina and/or vulva.
2. UTI is an infection in any part of the urinary system.

Causes

1. Thrush is caused by Candida albicans.
2. UTI is caused by Escherichia coli.

Symptoms

1. Symptoms of thrush include itching, soreness, vaginal discharge, redness, vaginal swelling, scratch marks, and skin rashes near to vagina.
2. Symptoms of UTI include strong urge to urinate that doesn’t go away, a burning feeling, cloudy urine, urine that appears red, bright pink or cola-colored, strong-smelling urine, and pelvic pain.

Diagnosis

1. Thrush can be diagnosed by medical history, physical examination, pH test, swab test, urine test, and blood test.
2. UTI can be diagnosed by physical symptoms evaluation, urine test, urine culture, imaging tests such as CT scan and MRI.

Treatment

1. Thrush can be treated by oral antifungal medications such as fluconazoleand topical antifungal medications clotrimazole, econazole, miconazole or fenticonazole.
2. UTI can be treated by antibiotics, taking an over-the-counter medicine like phenazopyridine to reduce the burning pain in the bladder, acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever and pain, a heating pad, drinking lots of water, and alternative medicine like cranberry juice.

The following table summarizes the difference between thrush and UTI.

Summary – Thrush vs UTI

If women experience discomfort in the genital area or when they urinate, they may have a thrush or a urinary tract infection (UTI). Thrush and UTI are two infections that mainly affect women. Both these conditions may cause similar symptoms. However, thrush is a common yeast infection in the vagina that is caused by Candida albicans, while UTI is a bacterial infection in any part of the urinary system caused mainly by Escherichia coli. This is the basic difference between thrush and UTI.

FAQ: Thrush and UTI

1. What are the symptoms of thrush?

• The symptoms of thrush may include the vagina or vulva feeling itchy and sore, a thick, white vaginal discharge, pain during having sex, pain during urinating, and red, cracked, or damaged skin.

2. Will vaginal thrush go away on its own?

• If thrush doesn’t eventually go away on its own, it should be treated through oral antifungal medications fluconazole and topical antifungal medications such as miconazole and terconazole.

3. What are the main symptoms of UTI?

• The main symptoms of the UTI include a need to urinating more often than usual, pain or discomfort while urinating, sudden urges to urinate, feeling of unable to empty the bladder fully, pain low down in the tummy, cloudy, foul smelling or blood containing urine, feeling generally unwell, achy and tired.

4. What is the main cause of a UTI?

• Bacteria are the most common cause of UTIs, although fungi can also cause UTIs in rare cases.  Among them, the E. coli bacteria, which live in the bowel, cause most UTIs.

5. Can UTI be cured?

• UTI needs to be treated by using antibiotics for a week or more. These antibiotics may include trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole, fosfomycin, nitrofurantoin and ceftriaxone. Other treatments include drinking plenty of water, avoiding drinks that may irritate bladder and using heating pad and alternative medicines like drinking cranberry juice.

Reference:

1. “Vaginal Thrush: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment.” Patient Info.
2. “Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Yeast Infection” By BruceBlaus – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Depiction of a lady who has a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)” By Myupchar.com (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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