The pain binomial and itching when urinating is called dysuria. Dysuria is caused by diseases of the urinary tract, that is, the ureter, urethra, and bladder. Pain, depending on its causes, can appear at the beginning of urination or at the end of it (terminal dysuria).
The people most prone to suffer a urinary tract infection are, above all, young women, but also pregnant, menopausal women and those suffering from diabetes mellitus or lithiasis (stones in the urinary tract).
In the dysuria case, there is difficulty in evacuating urine and, furthermore, it is followed by bothersome tingling. It is often accompanied by a frequency, that is, a need to urinate frequently but only small amounts of urine. If urination is very painful and difficult and only a few drops are passed, we are talking about strangury. The itching when urinating is usually accompanied by pain in the pubis and cramping in the lower abdomen.
Causes
There are several causes that cause pain and itching when urinating (dysuria), but the most common cause is urinary tract infection (UTI), in the form of an inflammation of the bladder (cystitis) or urethra (urethritis). Women often suffer from this infection, as their urinary tract is shorter, pathogens are more easily introduced into the bladder. In addition, there are other causes that can cause pain and itching when urinating (dysuria). These causes are the following:
- Stones in the bladder and urethra
- Foreign bodies in the bladder or urethra
- Chronic inflammation of the bladder (interstitial cystitis)
- Prostate infection
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Prostatic abscess
- Prostate or bladder tumors
- Infections of the seminal vesicle (spermatocystitis)
- Urethral tumors (urethral carcinoma)
- Injuries to the urethra, for example, after a sexual relationship
Diagnosis
In case of suffering pain and stinging when urinating (dysuria) it is important to seek medical advice and diagnosis. The exact description of the symptoms can point towards certain pathologies, for example, if the itching appears at the beginning or at the end of urination.
The most important method for the determination of stinging when urinating is an analysis and culture of urine, which will help the doctor to determine alterations in the urine as the presence of blood, proteins or leukocytes, and isolate the possible pathogens (bacteria or fungi) that contain urine.
Other complementary tests that approximate the diagnosis of pain and stinging when urinating are an ultrasound of the urinary tract and bladder, a cystoscopy (endoscopy of the bladder), or a radiological examination with previous administration of contrast.
Treatment
The treatment of pain and stinging when urinating (dysuria) attends to the causes that cause the symptom. A bacterial infection of the urethra or bladder will be treated with antibiotics. In addition, the abundant intake of fluids is important so that the pathogen can be expelled more quickly from the urinary tract.
If the pain and itching at urination are caused by stones in the bladder and urethra, the doctor usually removes them through an endoscopy. In some cases, it may be necessary to intervene surgically.
If the pain and itching when urinating were a symptom of another disease, treatment of the disease should be followed, as in the case of tumors, sexually transmitted diseases or benign prostatic hypertrophy.
If in spite of following the treatment corresponding to this disease, the pain and itching at urination did not disappear after three months, it might be necessary to perform a specific treatment of the pain.