Unpleasant sensations in the urethra (pain, pain when urinating) should always be alarming, because with untimely treatment there is, for example, the risk of developing chronic prostatitis, epididymitis, which cause infertility in men. Late detection of tumor diseases is even more dangerous.
Detailing the pain syndrome (character, localization, time of onset of pain) helps to clarify the cause of discomfort during urination.
The sudden onset of sharp pain during urination can be caused by acute surgical pathology (stone passage, trauma) or an acute inflammatory process
Moderate pain, burning, feeling of heaviness in the pubic area indicate a chronic process
Quite informative is the time of occurrence of the pain syndrome. For example, the appearance of pain before urination is caused by distension of the bladder and is associated with itsinflammation (cystitis), tumor, etc. Inflammation in the initial section of the urethra (with polyps in the urethra, the passage of stones, acute urethritis) is evidenced by pain that occurs at the beginning of urination. Pain that appears at the end of urination and gradually subsides, occurs when the bladder is emptied (appearance of pain) and stops when it is subsequently filled (pain subsides). This is usually associated with a bladder neck tumor, a stone or foreign body in the bladder, prostatitis
Localization of pain often indicates the affected organ: pain in the urethra indicates damage to the urethra, above the pubis - about the lesion of the bladder, in the perineum - about the pathology of the prostate. Pain that radiates to the clitoris in women or to the head of the penis in men is characteristic of bladder stones. Prostate lesions are accompanied by pain radiating to the rectum. The spread of infection to the upper sections (bladder, kidneys) is accompanied by the appearance of pain in the lower back or side
Pay attention! The severity of the pathology does not depend on the severity of the pain syndrome. For example, with prostate cancer in the initial stages, there may be no symptoms at all, and only much later appear moderate pain and difficulty passing urine.
Sometimes a feeling of discomfort and discomfort in the urethra occurs after taking certain medicines, acidic, spicy or alcoholic drinks. Women are uncomfortablesensations in the urethra may be associated with diseases of the uterus and appendages, with the pressure of an enlarged uterus during pregnancy.
Burning in the urethra in men, accompanied by painful sensations when urinating, is a sign of urethritis. Urethritis is also characterized by the appearance of discharge from the urethra, most often in the morning. Depending on the pathogen that caused the development of urethritis, the discharge can be:
- greyish yellow (gonorrheal urethritis);
- whitish or light (Trichomonas urethritis);
- purulent (bacterial urethritis).
In the early days, discomfort in the urethra is usually minor, but as the inflammatory process progresses, their intensity increases. Urethritis is dangerous in terms of the development of inflammation in the bladder and kidneys, as well as in neighboring organs. Therefore, symptoms such as pain, pain in the urethra should always be alarming and serve as a reason for immediate medical attention.
