In urological practice, the most common diseases are urinary tract infections. Sometimes the symptoms of these diseases can be weakened, and therefore the patient postpones a visit to the doctor in the hope that the disease will go away on its own. This attitude can lead to its transition to a chronic state with subsequent exacerbations. To prevent such an outcome, it is necessary to give the patient as much information as possible on this issue.
Types of infections
There is a fairly extensive list of various infections of the genitourinary system, but the most common are cystitis, urethritis and prostatitis. They occupy the main place in the statistics of such diseases.
However, in addition to them, there are also others, less frequent, but still unpleasantinfections:
- STI. They include infection with numerous microorganisms transmitted during sexual intercourse. Examples of infections: gonorrhea, syphilis, ureaplasma, trichomoniasis and others.
- Urolithiasis.
- Polycystic diseases of the genitourinary system (in particular, the ovaries and kidneys).
- Diseases resulting from hormonal changes. In some cases, polycystic diseases can lead to disruption of the endocrine system.
- Infections not related to sexual transmission. The most famous is candidiasis in women. However, such invasions can appear after surgical interventions, the installation of catheters, cytoscopies and other instrumental methods of treatment, which become the gateway for infection.
In some cases, urinary tract infections do not cause serious problems for the patient and are easily cured. In other situations, the most rapid intervention of a doctor and the passage of a long course of treatment are required.
Causes of occurrence
The main cause of diseases are bacteria that enter the body either sexually or due to a patient's violation of genital hygiene. However, some infections of the genitourinary systems occur due to reduced immunity, when the opportunistic flora, which is constantly in the body, ceases to be suppressed by the immune system and is activated in growth. A similar mechanism is characterized by the Candida fungus, which is normally found in the body of every person, but is controlled by the immune system.
In addition, some infections can start development with systematic and severe malnutrition, long-term alcohol intake or other errors that are difficult to attribute responsibility for unexpected activation of microorganisms and problems with the he alth of the genitourinary system.
Infections in women
Urethritis is the most common disease associated with the female urinary tract. The symptoms of urinary tract infections are especially pronounced in women with reduced immunity, and the likelihood of infection increases significantly after unprotected intercourse. Therefore, if a woman had such an act and she experiences discomfort in the genitourinary system, then she definitely needs to seek help from a urologist.
Symptoms
The symptoms of a urinary tract infection usually cause a woman extreme discomfort and force her to look for ways to get rid of them. The most common symptom looks like this:
- Pain or itching in the vulva. In some cases, the pain is sharp and causes discomfort when walking.
- Drawing pain in the area above the pubis. The woman describes it as pain in the lower abdomen.
- Discomfort during urination, pain, burning or itching in the urethra.
- Frequent urination, feeling that the bladder is not completely emptied. In some cases, a woman may have difficulty urinating.
- When infected with a fungus of the genus Candida, a clear sign is a whiteplaque in the vulva, under which the inflamed area is visible.
- Unusual vaginal discharge, also irritating in some cases. In addition, these secretions themselves can serve as a breeding ground for the development of a bacterial infection.
All these symptoms indicate that it is necessary to visit a doctor as soon as possible and undergo a course of treatment, since the he alth of the female genitourinary system is extremely fragile, and diseases can very easily become chronic. In some cases, a neglected disease can even lead to reproductive dysfunction.
Drugs for treatment
Treatment of a urinary tract infection in women is a rather complicated process that requires a thorough examination of the patient and a competent selection of drugs for therapy. If the patient ignores the symptoms for a long time and does not go to the doctor, then in half of the cases, even after successful symptom relief, a relapse may occur, especially in the first six months after the first appearance of negative symptoms.
The most popular medications for urinary tract infection are Nitroxoline tablets, sulfa drugs, antibiotics and a group of synthetic azoles (Metronidazole, Ornidazole and others).
Uncomplicated infections are quite easy to treat, and, as a rule, negative symptoms completely disappear no later than two weeks after the start of treatment. Therefore, in women, treatmentinfections of the genitourinary system should be started as early as possible, until the disease has developed complications that prevent the restoration of he alth.
Prevention
Preventive measures include strict hygiene of the genitals and avoidance of dangerous sexual intercourse. Also, a woman needs to regularly undergo medical examinations and be attentive to her body and its sensations. It is impossible to ignore unpleasant sensations and be indifferent to the needs of the body for treatment. Urological diseases are amenable to successful therapy with timely detection.
In addition, the patient needs to maintain the functions of her immune system, both during treatment and in the process of preventive measures. It is well-functioning immunity that can successfully suppress the opportunistic flora in the body, preventing many inflammatory processes.
The risks associated with these diseases mainly affect the reproductive system of the fairer sex. With delayed or poor-quality treatment (including self-medication), fertility may decrease, difficulties with pregnancy or bearing, and in some cases are fraught with complete infertility.
A strong spread of infection can cause inflammation of nearby organs, which can make the inflammatory process uncontrollable and lead to serious complications, including the development of abscesses.
Pain can also cause psychological depression in some women. It shouldn'tignore, because the more the patient is set up for the success of the treatment, the faster she will achieve it. Therefore, if pain or itching causes serious psychological discomfort, irritation or depression, you should consult your doctor about prescribing sedatives or other drugs that help with mental problems.
Infections in men
In young men, diseases of the genitourinary system are associated with sexually transmitted infections. Despite the fact that, in general, it is more difficult for a man to contract such a disease, safety measures cannot be completely neglected. Due to the fact that the symptoms of a male urinary tract infection are usually less pronounced, the stronger sex can seek medical help at a fairly late stage, when the symptoms can no longer be ignored. This often leads to severe consequences for the body.
In the older generation of men, the treatment of urinary tract infections is most often associated with prostatitis. This is a disease that affects every third male over 45-50 years old, and it significantly reduces the quality of life and also requires medical intervention.
Symptoms
Symptoms of sexually transmitted infections usually appear in the later stages, when the disease is already difficult to treat. It could be:
- Pain and pain during urination.
- Changing the color of urine. As a rule, this is a symptom that manifests itself the earliest, so a manyou need to carefully monitor the change in the color of urine during trips to the toilet.
- Also in the later stages, the patient may develop discharge, plaque, or other signs of an actively proliferating bacterial or fungal flora.
In the case of prostatitis, the symptoms are somewhat different:
- Frequent urge to urinate and feeling of an empty bladder. It is especially evident at night. With a significant increase in the prostate gland, the number of trips to the toilet can reach 10-15 times a night.
- Pain while urinating. They are pulling in nature and can seriously interfere with urination itself.
- In the rectum there may be a sensation of a foreign object that does not disappear after a bowel movement.
- In some cases, there may be a short-term increase in temperature, sometimes with chills or fever.
Most older men are recommended to be screened for prostate diseases, as its enlargement can sometimes indicate tumors, including malignant ones. But even if there is a tumor, this does not relieve the patient from the need to undergo regular tests for microbial infection: the inflammatory process in the prostate gland contributes to the growth of infections. Therefore, if you need to undergo an examination, you should not refuse the opportunity to take a smear for the presence of bacteria. This will help identify an additional factor that affects the overall condition of the prostate.
Treatment
Infectionsurinary tract infections are usually treated successfully if detected early. At this time, there are still no complications, and the amount of bacterial flora is not too large. However, if the symptoms have already become very noticeable, then the treatment, although it may be delayed, is still not hopeless. Modern drugs help a person get rid of most of the microorganisms that affect the urinary organs.
If a man develops an STD, drugs for a urinary tract infection are prescribed by those that act on a specific pathogen. A doctor and tests will help identify the specific bacterium that caused the onset of the disease. Antibiotics are used as medications that destroy the bacterial cell wall or inhibit protein synthesis in the bacterial cell.
These drugs should be taken for a course of at least two weeks, as interruption of treatment can provoke the development of drug resistance in microorganisms and, as a result, the occurrence of he alth problems in the future.
The risks associated with these infections in men also manifest themselves in sexual life. Both sexually transmitted infections and prostatitis have a negative effect on erection, making it difficult, as well as causing complete erectile dysfunction and problems with the sexual sphere in general.
Infections in children
Children's genitourinary infections are separate from adult diseases, not only because of differences between children and adults, but also because of differences in the routes of infection. Usually,a similar infection develops in a child as a result of a decrease in immunity, most often the onset of the disease occurs in the autumn-winter period, when everyone, including children, has a reduced immune defense of the body.
When a child first complains of discomfort in the abdomen and problems with urination, you should make an appointment with a doctor: a pediatric urologist or gynecologist who will carry out diagnostic measures and identify the problem.
Treatment of urinary tract infections in children presents a challenge as the process can be quite unpleasant. It is necessary to talk with the child and explain to him the need for therapy. In addition, it is desirable to choose the least traumatic methods of introducing drugs into the body: washing, tablets and ointments. This will help the child to undergo a therapeutic course with a minimum of discomfort, which means that a positive result will be achieved faster.
As a preventive measure for a child, it is necessary to take vitamin complexes to strengthen immunity. Limiting the baby's possible contact with pathogens from the external environment is also important. It is necessary to carefully select a pool or other places where you can encounter bacteria that cause inflammation of the urinary organs.
