This time we are going to talk about a discomfort that almost everyone has suffered at some point and affects the final part of the urinary tract, or lower urinary tract, and around the area of the genitals, called perineum.
The urinary tract is divided into high, which are composed of the kidneys and ureters, and low, which are composed of the bladder and urethra.
The urethra is the conduit responsible for expelling urine from the bladder to the outside of our body. The term “burning during urination” also includes pain before, during and after the urination process.
The bladder is a smooth muscle, which is responsible for storing the urine produced by the kidneys and expelling it to the urethra.
We will use on this occasion the medical terms “dysuria”, which refers to urinating with pain and/or with a sensation of heat or burning. The other term is urination, and it is the action of urinating.
Causes of Burning When Urinating
Obstructive Uropathy
It is when the urine cannot be expelled to the outside by some physical obstruction or a neurological problem that prevents normal urination.
In severe cases, urine builds up in the kidneys causing damage that may be permanent.
The causes of the obstruction include:
- Kidney stones, better known as stones: Urine minerals accumulate in the walls of the urinary tract and calcify with time to form calculations of varying sizes, the largest are those that obstruct the urinary tract.
- Tumors or cancer: kidney cells, endometrial which is the inside of the uterus, vulvar which is the area of female external genitalia, bladder, and colon, among others.
- Growth or benign prostatic hypertrophy: All men after 50 years have prostate growth, due to hormonal changes. If the growth is too much, it obstructs the urethra or the neck of the bladder, hindering urination.
- Some injuries such as pelvic fracture (hip).
- Coils: either by calculations that damage the ducts or by some type of cancer that produces bleeding and the formation of clots.
- Cardicular tissue: the presence of stones, or the placement of probes for prolonged periods, cause scar tissue that can decrease the caliber of the ducts of the urinary tract.
- Damaged nerves: Traumatism or some disease of the nervous system can damage the normal function of the urinary tract.
- Urethral stricture: The duct called urethra becomes thin, preventing the free passage of urine.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease: mainly due to uterine myomatosis or endometriosis.
Treatment of Burning When Urinating
To deal with possible obstructions, procedures are performed using probes to eliminate obstruction, dilatations to thicken the ducts, placement of stents or drains, Foley probes or nephrostomy probes, surgical repair of damaged ducts.
Patients with cancer should follow the indicated chemotherapy treatments. If the obstruction causes irreparable damage that obstructs the free passage of urine, the probes or drains are placed permanently.
If there is permanent kidney damage, the kidney is removed and supported by dialysis several times a week to eliminate toxins from the body. A kidney transplant should be done.