People can have a UTI without symptoms. But in most cases, they will notice problems. The most common are:

• Increased frequency of passing urine
• Feeling of urgency to pass urine
• Burning or pain while passing urine
• Itching in the genital area
• Passing only small amounts of urine at a time
• Pain over the area of the bladder or in the lower back
• Pain along the sides under the ribs
• Blood in the urine—may be on the tissue after wiping after passing urine in women
• Cloudy looking urine—may also have pus
• Unpleasant smell to urine
• Unable to hold the urine during the day or night

If the infection has gone up into the kidneys, you may have:

• Fever or chills
• Severe pain in the lower back

Children and babies may have less common problems such as:

• Irritability
• Feeding problems
• Not being able to hold their urine
• Diarrhea
• Nausea or vomiting
• Slow weight loss and growth—failure to thrive

Older people may have more vague symptoms of a UTI such as fatigue, confusion, loss of appetite, or trouble walking.