Kidney & Bladder Problems

The kidney and bladder are a part of the urinary system, which works to excrete waste products, particularly urea, from the body. A healthy adult discharges about a quart and a half of urine every day. The kidneys are, on average, about the size of an adult fist and are located below the rib cage, near the center of the back. Urine travels from the kidneys through ureters, about every 15 seconds, to the bladder. The bladder is a small, hollow organ near the pelvic area. A healthy adult bladder can hold about two cups of urine for up to five hours. Nerve cells within the bladder send signals to let the brain know when it is full and urine needs to be expelled. Bladder muscles tighten and contract to allow urine excretion through the urethra. Kidney and bladder problems can be caused by illness or injury, or can happen simply as the body ages.

Painful bladder syndrome/Interstitial cystitis

• There is no definite cause of interstitial cystitis, or painful bladder syndrome, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is also known as frequency-urgency-dysuria syndrome. Symptoms include urinary incontinence and an urge to urinate, caused by inflammation or irritation of the bladder walls. It can lead to stiffening of the bladder walls, scarring and, rarely, ulcers within the bladder lining. It seems to affect more women than men.

Stones

• Renal lithiasis, or kidney stones, are mineral or acid salt deposits that do not dilute in urine and therefore do not easily pass out of the kidneys. The deposits crystallize and can cause a lot of pain and nausea when passing through the ureters out of the kidneys. Kidney stones typically do not cause permanent damage. Bladder stones are minerals that crystallize in the bladder due to concentrated urine. They can be asymptomatic or cause pain and blood in the urine.

Infections

• Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder usually caused by bacteria. Symptoms of a bladder infection include a burning feeling when urinating, a constant need to urinate, blood in the urine, pelvic pain, strong-smelling urine or cloudy urine. Kidney infections usually start in the bladder and travel to the kidneys; if not caught soon enough, the infection can travel to the blood stream. Symptoms of a kidney infection can include pus or blood in the urine (called hematuria), fever, abdominal pain, urine retention, and an urge to urinate.

Proteinuria

• A sign of proteinuria is foamy urine that happens on a consistent basis. Constant, excess protein in the urine can indicate kidney failure, kidney disease, diabetes, or other serious illness or disease. Proteinuria can also be temporary and be caused by excessive exercise, fever, exposure to extreme temperatures, and emotional stress.

Kidney Failure

• Kidney failure can cause waste materials and fluids to accumulate in the body. It is usually a slow, gradual loss of filtering ability of the kidneys that causes kidney failure. It can be caused by diabetes or high blood pressure, kidney disease, exposure to toxins, and obstructed urine flow.