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Urinary System Diseases

Urinary system diseases affect the lives of millions of people every year. Some cause temporary inconvenience and discomfort. Others can cause extreme pain and may even be fatal. It is important to consult a doctor so the disease can be properly diagnosed and promptly treated, in order to avoid more serious health problems later.

  1. The Facts

    • Your urinary system is made up of your kidneys, the ureters that connect them to your bladder, your bladder, and your urethra. Diseases that interfere with the function of your urinary symptom can be mild and easily managed or complex and potentially very serious. Urinary system diseases can involve one part of the system or multiple parts. Your doctor will be able to perform tests to determine what disease is causing the problem and to prescribe treatment.

    Bladder

    • Urinary system diseases can cause problems with your bladder. Cystitis is a bladder infection caused by bacteria. It can be treated with a course of antibiotics. Painful bladder syndrome, or interstitial cystitis, is a chronic disorder in which the walls of the bladder become inflamed and can eventually become scarred and stiff. The cause of this disease is unknown, so doctors focus on alleviating the pain and the problems that it causes, like frequent urination.

    Kidneys

    • Your kidneys are vulnerable to urinary system diseases classified as renovascular diseases. They include atherosclerosis, or progressive narrowing of the renal artery, and fibromuscular dysplasia, which leads to blockages in the blood vessels that connect the kidney. These diseases can be treated with drugs that relieve hypertension. Chronic kidney failure is the slow loss of kidney function. This disease progresses so slowly that you may not know that you have it until is already far advanced. Kidneys can be infected by bacteria, leading to pyelonephritis. It can be treated with antibiotics.

    Prostate

    • In men, disease that affects the prostate can lead to problems in the urinary system. Prostatitis is an infection of a man's prostate gland. It causes problems like the need to urinate more frequently, painful urination that can feel like burning and pain in the genital and lower back regions. Prostatitis that is caused by a bacterial infection can be treated with a prescription of antibiotics.

    Urinary Tract Infection

    • Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are urinary system diseases caused by bacterial infection. E. coli is the most common bacterium to cause a UTI. The infection can be found in the urethra and any other part of the urinary system. Most UTIs are cleared by a course of antibiotics. You may develop recurrent UTIs. If this happens, you might need larger courses of antibiotics or to receive them intravenously to treat the problem. If a UTI is left untreated it can cause other infections, including cystitis and pyelonephritis.

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