Genitourinary Ailments: What Are They, What Are the Symptoms, and How Are They Treated?
June 1, 2021Genitourinary system diseases are common ailments that affect the urinary and reproductive tracts. These diseases and disorders of the genitourinary system include a plethora of conditions that range from asymptomatic to those that exhibit various symptoms. In any case, most people have visited our emergency room in 77007, at one time or the other, because of the genitourinary system diseases.
The genitourinary ailments can be caused by a myriad of factors, including congenital anomalies, trauma, infectious diseases and other diseases that secondarily involve your urinary tract. However, you may need to understand the genitourinary system for you to know more about these disorders.
What Is the Genitourinary System?
The term genitourinary may seem like a mouthful, but it combines two words referring to two systems, the reproductive and urinary system. The genitourinary system is also known as the urogenital system and is comprised of organs from these two systems because of their proximity to one another.
As a fetus is being formed, the development of the genital tract and the urinary tract are closely linked. As you may know, the parts of the urinary tract are located close or run through the reproductive tract. For this reason, it’s a common occurrence for an issue in one tract to affect the other.
The urinary system is responsible for the elimination of extra water and waste from the body and is comprised of the following:
- Ureters. These are small tubes that transport urine from your kidneys to your bladder
- Kidneys. These are the filter systems of the body that remove excess water and waste
- Bladder. This is the collection and storage point of urine.
- Urethra. This is a tube that shuttles urine that is stored in the bladder out of the body
Then, the female genital tract comprises of:
- Cervix
- Uterus
- Vagina
- Fallopian tubes
- Ovaries
While the male genital tract consists of:
- Testicles
- Penis
- Accessory glands (seminal vesicles and prostate glands
- Duct system (epididymis and vas deferens)
What Are Some of the Genitourinary Ailments?
As mentioned earlier, there are several urogenital disorders that can land you in our ER near you. At times, during pregnancy, there are developmental issues that can cause a baby to get urogenital disorders. These are known as congenital disorders that can be detected using ultrasound.
In other cases, genitourinary ailments can be acquired. This means that the disorder will develop over time or be caused by an illness, infection or even injury.
The acquired ailments can further be classified as acute, which means that they come on suddenly, and you will get better over some time. Or, they can be chronic, meaning that they develop slowly and either re-occur or last a long time.
Here are some examples of the genitourinary ailments that cause damage to the kidneys:
- Hydronephrosis
- Urinary tract infections
- Glomerulonephritis
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Hemolytic uremic syndrome
At times, some conditions cause blockage of the urinary tract, such as:
- Neurogenic bladder
- Megureter
- Posterior urethral valves
- Vesicoureteral reflux
There’s a majority of the disorders that are primarily related to the male anatomy. This can happen during fetal development and after birth, such as:
- Inguinal hernia
- Hydrocele
- Undescended testes
- Micropenis
- Hypospadias
- Testicular torsion
Other genitourinary disorders can occur, such as:
- Epispadias
- Varicocele
- Labial fusion
- Bladder exstrophy
Also, the following urogenital malformations can occur:
- Cancer
- Benign tumors
- Sexually transmitted infections
What Are the Symptoms of Genitourinary Disorders?
Since these disorders can affect anyone at any age, you need to peel your eyes for the symptoms of genitourinary disorders so that you can get emergency medical care in Houston:
- Pain in the groin or pelvic area
- Blood in urine
- Reduced urine output
- Frequent urinary tract infections
- Bladder incontinence (leaks, unable to control the bladder, constant urge to urinate)
- Strong or bad-smelling urine
- Visually abnormal genitals
If you experience the above issues, don’t hesitate to rush to our emergency room near you. You may need to look out for changes in bathroom use habits and signs of discomfort in younger children. Once you notice any of those signs, contact our ER near you.
What Is the Treatment for Genitourinary Disorders?
Once you arrive at our emergency room in Houston, a thorough diagnosis has to be carried out. When the cause of the disorder has been established, you will receive the proper treatment.
You can contact our doctors at our emergency room in Houston, Memorial Heights ER, for any emergencies.