Urinary Disorders

Some people who have urinary disorders do not experience symptoms. Others may notice changes in the color, smell or cloudiness of their urine. Some urinary disorders can cause pain or discomfort, which may be constant or may come and go in waves. Some urinary disorders involve changes in the frequency or urgency of urination, and others affect a person’s ability to hold urine or to start and maintain the flow of urine. Urinary disorders caused by infections may be accompanied by fevers and chills. Sometimes the first symptom of urinary tract cancers is weight loss.

Symptoms of urinary disorders vary from person to person and based on the cause of the disorders. Common urinary symptoms include:

• Abdominal cramping
• Abdominal, pelvic or back pain that can be severe
• Bloody or pink-colored urine (hematuria)
• Cloudy urine
• Fever and chills
• Foul-smelling urine
• Frequent urination
• General ill feeling
• Leaking of urine
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Pain or burning with urination (dysuria)
• Unexplained weight loss
• Urgent need to urinate

In some cases, urinary disorders can be life threatening. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these life-threatening symptoms including:

• Abdominal, pelvic, or lower back pain that can be severe
• High fever (higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Not producing any urine
• Severe nausea and vomiting

Urinary disorders have a wide variety of causes. Sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia, are common causes of urethritis. Other infectious agents can cause infections of the urethra, bladder or kidneys. Irritation or trauma can cause inflammation of the urethra.

Urinary incontinence can be due to weak muscles in the pelvis or around the urethra or to disorders of the nervous system. Urinary retention can be due to nervous system abnormalities, enlargement of the prostate, or kinking of the urethra. Kidney disease can result from other conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes (chronic disease that affects your body’s ability to use sugar for energy). The causes of some types of urinary disorders, such as interstitial cystitis, kidney stones, and cancers of the urinary tract, are not known.

Common causes of urinary disorders include:

• Benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement of the prostate)
• Cancers or benign tumors
• Dehydration
• Infections of the urinary tract
• Interstitial cystitis (conditions involving chronic inflammation of the bladder)
• Kidney diseases
• Kidney or urinary tract stones
• Post-vasectomy syndrome
  
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Trauma or injury

A number of factors increase the risk of developing urinary disorders. Not all people with risk factors will get urinary disorders. Risk factors for urinary disorders include:

• Birth defects
• Catheterization (placement of a tube to drain the bladder)
• Chemical or irritant exposures
• Cigarette smoking
• Diabetes
• Genital piercing
• Low fluid intake
• Personal history or family history of some types of urinary tract disorders
• Pregnancy and delivery
• Sexual contact with someone who engages in high-risk sexual behavior or who has had a sexually transmitted disease
• Systemic diseases, such as high blood pressure or diabetes
• Surgery involving the upper or lower urinary tract
• Trauma
• Unsafe sexual practices
• Use of deodorant tampons or douches
• Use of spermicides or lubricants with irritants

Treatment of urinary disorders begins with seeking regular medical care throughout your life. Regular medical care allows a health care professional to provide early screening tests. Regular medical care also provides an opportunity for your health care professional to evaluate your symptoms and your risks for developing urinary disorders promptly.

Specific treatments depend on the type of urinary disorder.

Treatment of urinary disorders involves identifying and treating the cause or symptoms. Some examples of possible treatments include self-care measures, medications to relieve pain, medications to relax the bladder, antibiotics, devices, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery.

Common treatments of urinary disorders include:

• Antibiotics to treat infections

• Avoidance of trauma or irritants

• Bladder training to help increase the amount of urine that can be held before the urge to urinate occurs

• Chemotherapy or radiation therapy to kill cancer cells

• Devices to support the bladder

• Insertion of medications directly into the bladder to reduce pain or treat cancer

• Lithotripsy to break up stones

• Medications to relax the bladder

• Pain-relieving medications

• Physical therapy and biofeedback to relieve spasms of the pelvic floor

• Surgery to remove cancer, repair injuries, reinforce weakened structures, or treat conditions that don’t respond to other therapies

Complications of untreated urinary disorders can be serious, even life threatening in some cases. You can help minimize your risk of serious complications by following the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you. Complications of urinary disorders include:

• Anemia (low red blood cell count)
• Chronic pain
• Decreased bladder capacity
• Impotence
• Infertility
• Kidney disease or failure
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Perinatal transmission of infection to newborn
• Proctitis
• Reiter syndrome (joint and ocular inflammation)
• Spread of a sexually transmitted infection to a partner
• Spread of cancer
• Spread of infection to nearby structures
• Urethral scarring and narrowing