Urinary System Diseases

Objective To describe the symptoms, causes, and treatments for Kidney Stones, Urinary Tract Infections, and Renal Failure.

Kidney Stones

Kidney Stones: Symptoms Extreme pain from lower back to groin. Nausea, vomiting, blood in urine.

Kidney Stones: Causes Fluid imbalance in the urine causes ions to form crystals. The crystals stick together and grow. Stones move down ureters and urethra, causing pain.

Kidney Stones: Treatment Usually, the stone can be urinated away. Analgesics (painkillers) Surgery for large stones.

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

UTI: Symptoms Burning during urination Sensation of needing to urinate Increased urination Cloudy, foul-smelling urine

UTI: Causes Bacterial infection in any part of the urinary tract. Women are 10x more likely than men to get a UTI, because of the relative proximity of the anus to the urethra, allowing for easier transfer of bacteria from fecal matter. Also, the urethra is shorter so bacteria can more easily infiltrate the bladder. Sex is a common cause of UTIs because sexual intercourse introduces bacteria into a woman’s urinary tract (almost 80% of women with a UTI have had sex within the previous 24 hours)

UTI: Treatment Antibiotics Cranberries may help prevent UTIs by preventing bacterial adhesion to the walls of the urinary tract. Tips for prevention: stay hydrated, urinate before and promptly after sex, thoroughly clean genitals before/after sex

Renal Failure

Renal Failure: Symptoms Vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, weight loss, foamy or bubbly urine, more or less frequent urinations, itching, muscle cramps, abnormal heart rhythms, swelling of body parts, pain in the back side of the chest where the kidney is located, feeling tired or weak, dizziness

Renal Failure: Causes The kidney fails to properly filter the blood (due to blood supply blockage, drugs, injury, high blood pressure, diabetes) leaving high levels of waste products in the blood.

Renal Failure: Treatments Dialysis Kidney Transplant

Dialysis A machine artificially removes waste (water, urea, some sodium) from the blood.

Dialysis

Nephritis

Nephritis: Symptoms Swelling in face, eyes, and legs Reduced urine volume, dark urine Headaches, nausea, increased blood pressure

Nephritis: Causes Inflammation of the nephrons caused by infection, toxins, or antibodies Blood and proteins leak into the urine

Nephritis: Treatment Reduce salt in diet Antibiotics or immunosuppressant Dialysis if severe

Urinalysis Analysis of urine composition and properties Useful diagnostic tool

Urinalysis: Physical Characteristics Normal urine: yellow, clear, pH of ~6.0 Normal daily volume of urine: liters Abnormal: other colors, cloudiness, pH 8.0

Urinalysis: Chemical Composition Urine: 95% water Normal solutes: Urea, potassium, chloride, sodium Abnormal solutes: red or white blood cells, protein, glucose

Practice A patient goes to his doctor complaining of extreme pain in his lower back and blood in his urine. What is the diagnosis? What are treatment options?

Practice A lab technician is performing a urinalysis on a urine sample. The urine is yellow, cloudy, pH=5.5, and contains urea, K+, Na+, Cl-, and WBCs. Is this normal urine? If not, what disease could the patient have?

Practice A patient goes to his doctor because he has swelling in his face and eyes. The doctor notices he has higher blood pressure than normal. A urine sample shows dark-colored urine with unusually high levels of protein and RBCs and WBCs. What disease does this patient have? What are treatment options?