Painful Urination
Alternate Names : Dysuria
Painful urination is any pain or discomfort that results when a
person urinates. This pain can occur by itself or it can be associated with
other symptoms.
What is going on in the body?
The urinary tract consists of
several parts, each with a different function. The kidneys filter and remove
waste products and water from the body and produce urine. Urine travels from
the kidneys through two narrow tubes called ureters down to the bladder, where
it is stored. When the bladder becomes full, it empties the urine through the
urethra to the outside of the body.
Painful urination can range from mild discomfort or a burning sensation in the
urinary tract to severe, intense pain. This pain may be acute, when it occurs
suddenly, or chronic, when the pain lasts for a long period of time. Painful
urination usually results from conditions that may be caused by infection,
trauma, or something blocking the urinary tract.
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
There are many possible causes of painful urination. Some of these include:
trauma to the urinary tract, such as genital injuries in males and females
inflammation to any part of the urinary tract including the bladder, the kidney, or the urethra
prostatitis, or inflammation or infection to the prostate gland in men
vaginal infection, such a vaginal yeast infection
sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea, HIV, and genital herpes
chemical irritation to the lining of the genitals and urethra, such as from soaps, bubble bath, or detergents used to wash undergarments
conditions or diseases of the kidney, such as polycystic kidney disease or medullary cystic kidney disease
sudden rupture of one of the small sacs, or cysts, in the kidney
urinary obstruction, such as kidney stones
autoimmune disorders, which are conditions in which a person's immune system attacks his or her own body for no apparent reason
traumatic sexual experiences, including rape
certain antidepressant medications
tumors or cancer of any part of the urinary tract
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