Diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract

Kidney and urinary tract diseases suffer from a large proportion of the female population. A particular danger is that chronic diseases of the urinary tract without the necessary therapy and correction of disorders lead to a gradual development of renal failure. And this, when the disease progresses, requires the appointment of hemodialysis.

All diseases of the urinary system can be divided into several groups:

1. Inflammatory diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract are pyelonephritis, cystitis, urethritis. Less common is tuberculosis of the kidneys and urinary tract, its main difference is the detection of the causative agent of tuberculosis in the urine. Also, characteristic changes in the walls of the lower part of the urinary system are observed.
2. During the development of the urinary tract, there may be anomalies, among which are the following:

• hypoplasia, duplication, change in shape or complete absence of the kidney;
• congenital polycystic;
• narrowing of ureters and urethra;
• splitting of the ureter;
• diverticulum and others.

Symptoms of the pathology of the urinary system

Symptoms of urinary tract disease are diverse. Depending on the specific disease, these or other symptoms will prevail. The most common symptoms of urinary tract disease in women are the following clinical manifestations:

1. Pain syndrome. With lesions of the kidneys, the pain is localized in the lumbar region. When obstructing the urinary tract with stone, the pain radiates to the groin and thigh on the side of the lesion. And in the future this condition leads to the expansion of ureters and pelvis. With cystitis, the pain is noted mainly above the pubis.
2. Changes in urine. The color can change due to the impurity of blood (for example, if the integrity of the mucous membrane, glomerulonephritis, tumors with decay), pus (such urine is turbid and happens with infections of the urinary system).
3. Dysuric phenomena, such as frequent urination, nocturia, polyuria, urinary retention.
4. Increased blood pressure in chronic kidney disease.
5. Anemia occurs with severe renal damage and is associated with a disruption in the synthesis of the factor contributing to hematopoiesis.
6. Swelling on the face.
7. The rise in temperature, as a rule, is characteristic before the low-grade figures of 37-37.5С. An exception is an acute abscess and apostematous pyelonephritis, under these conditions the body temperature can rise to 39.

It is the appearance of these signs that makes us pay attention to the functional state of the organs of the urinary system.

Diagnostics

All methods of diagnosis can be divided into instrumental and laboratory. From laboratory methods we can distinguish:

• clinical analysis of urine, urine analysis according to Nechiporenko, according to Zimnitskiy;
• sowing urine on the microflora, used to identify the causes of infection of the urinary system;
• the definition of creatinine and urea is used to detect renal failure and the degree of impaired renal function.

To identify the pathology of the kidneys and urinary tract help the following instrumental diagnostic methods:

1. Ultrasonography of the kidneys and urinary tracts make it possible to determine neoplasms, cysts, congenital malformations, deformities.
2. Cystoscopy of the bladder .
3. Urography allows to determine the functional state of the urinary system.
4. CT and MRI of the kidneys and urinary tracts make it possible to clearly visualize the structure of the kidneys, the division into layers of kidney tissue. The reliability of the results is higher than with ultrasound.
5. A renal tissue biopsy is used to diagnose glomerulonephritis and to confirm or exclude a malignant tumor.