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Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders

Biology of the Kidneys and Urinary Tract
Symptoms of Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders
Diagnosis of Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders
Blood Vessel Disorders of the Kidneys
Cancers of the Kidney and Genitourinary Tract
- Bladder Cancer
- Kidney Cancer
- Penile Cancer
  - Causes
  - Symptoms
  - Diagnosis
  - Treatment
- Prostate Cancer
  - Symptoms
  - Diagnosis
  - Prognosis
  - Treatment
- Renal Pelvis and Ureter Cancer
- Testicular Cancer
- Urethral Cancer
Cystic Kidney Disorders
Dialysis
- Dialysis

Disorders of Kidney Tubules
Disorders of Urination
Kidney Failure
Kidney Filtering Disorders
Obstruction of the Urinary Tract
- Urinary Tract Obstruction
Stones in the Urinary Tract
- Stones in the Urinary Tract
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

The kidneys provide an important function by filtering and cleansing the blood. The urinary tract is a channel to expel urine, which contains waste products filtered out of the blood, from the body. Normally, a person has two kidneys. The rest of the urinary tract consists of two ureters (the tubes connecting each kidney to the bladder), the bladder (an expandable muscular sac that holds urine until it is released from the body), and the urethra (a tube attached to the bladder that leads to the outside of the body). Each kidney continuously produces urine, which then drains through the ureter into the bladder at a low pressure. From the bladder, urine drains through the urethra and exits the body through the penis in males and at the vulva (the area of the external female genital organs) in females. Usually, urine is free of bacteria and other infectious organisms.

Kidney and Urinary Tract DisordersSections (A-Z)

Biology of the Kidneys and Urinary Tract

Normally, a person has two kidneys . The rest of the urinary tract consists of the following:

Overview of the Urinary Tract
Kidneys
Ureters
Bladder
Urethra
Effects of Aging on the Urinary Tract

Blood Vessel Disorders of the Kidneys

The blood flow to the kidneys needs to be intact for the kidneys to function properly. Any interruption of or reduction in the blood flow can cause kidney damage or dysfunction and, if long-standing, increased blood pressure ( hypertension ). When blood flow in the arteries supplying the kidneys is completely blocked, the entire kidney or a portion of the kidney supplied by that artery dies (kidney infarction). Kidney infarction can lead to the inability of the kidneys to process and excrete the body's waste products ( kidney failure ).

Overview of Blood Vessel Disorders of the Kidneys
Atheroembolic Kidney Disease
Benign Hypertensive Arteriolar Nephrosclerosis
Blockage of the Renal Arteries
Cortical Necrosis of the Kidneys
Renal Vein Thrombosis

Cancers of the Kidney and Genitourinary Tract

Bladder Cancer
Kidney Cancer
Penile Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Renal Pelvis and Ureter Cancer
Testicular Cancer
Urethral Cancer

Cystic Kidney Disorders

One or more fluid-filled sacs (cysts) sometimes develop in the kidneys without causing serious kidney problems.

Acquired Kidney Cysts
Congenital Cystic Dysplasia of the Kidneys
Medullary Sponge Kidney
Nephronophthisis and Autosomal Dominant Tubulointerstitial Kidney Disease
Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)

Diagnosis of Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders

Urinalysis is testing of the urine. A urine sample is usually collected using the clean-catch method or another sterile method. For example, a method to obtain an uncontaminated urine sample involves passing a catheter through the urethra into the bladder.

Evaluation of Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders
Urinalysis
Urine Culture
Kidney Function Tests
Imaging Tests of the Urinary Tract
Cystoscopy
Tissue and Cell Sampling

Dialysis

Dialysis is an artificial process for removing waste products and excess fluids from the body, a process that is needed when the kidneys are not functioning properly.

Dialysis

Disorders of Kidney Tubules

The kidneys filter and cleanse the blood. They also maintain the body’s balance of water, electrolytes (such as sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, and chloride), and nutrients in the blood.

Introduction to Disorders of Kidney Tubules
Fanconi Syndrome
Liddle Syndrome
Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus
Pseudohypoaldosteronism Type I
Renal Glucosuria
Renal Tubular Acidosis

Disorders of Urination

The kidneys constantly produce urine, which flows through two tubes (the ureters) to the bladder, where urine is stored (see Figure: Viewing the Urinary Tract ). The lowest part of the bladder (the neck) is encircled by a muscle (the urinary sphincter) that remains contracted to close off the channel that carries urine out of the body (the urethra), so that urine is retained in the bladder until it is full.

Control of Urination
Interstitial Cystitis
Neurogenic Bladder
Urinary Incontinence in Adults
Urinary Retention

Kidney Failure

Kidney failure is the inability of the kidneys to adequately filter metabolic waste products from the blood.

Overview of Kidney Failure
Acute Kidney Injury
Chronic Kidney Disease

Kidney Filtering Disorders

Each kidney contains about 1 million filtering units (glomeruli). The glomeruli are made up of many microscopic clusters of tiny blood vessels (capillaries) with small pores. These blood vessels are designed to leak fluid from the bloodstream into a system of miniature tubules. The tubules secrete and reabsorb chemicals and substances from the fluid to cause it to become urine. The urine then drains from the tubules into larger and larger tubes until it leaves the kidney. Normally this filtering system permits fluid and small molecules (but almost no protein or blood cells—see Asymptomatic Proteinuria and Hematuria Syndrome ) to leak into the tubules. Diseases that affect the kidneys can be divided into three categories based on the way they affect different parts of the kidneys:

Overview of Kidney Filtering Disorders
Acute Tubular Necrosis
Asymptomatic Proteinuria and Hematuria Syndrome
Glomerulonephritis
Hereditary Nephritis
Nephrotic Syndrome
Reflux Nephropathy
Tubulointerstitial Nephritis

Obstruction of the Urinary Tract

Urinary tract obstruction is a blockage that inhibits the flow of urine through its normal path (the urinary tract), including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.

Urinary Tract Obstruction

Stones in the Urinary Tract

Stones (calculi) are hard masses that form in the urinary tract and may cause pain, bleeding, or an infection or block of the flow of urine.

Stones in the Urinary Tract

Symptoms of Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders

Kidney and urinary tract disorders can involve one or both kidneys, one or both ureters, the bladder, or the urethra, and in men, the prostate, one or both testes, or the epididymis.

Overview of Urinary Tract Symptoms
Erection, Persistent
Scrotal Pain
Scrotal Swelling
Semen, Blood in
Urination, Excessive or Frequent
Urination, Pain or Burning With
Urine, Blood in
Flank Pain
Hesitating, Straining, and Dribbling
Urination, Urgency of
Gas in the Urine
Changes in the Urine’s Color
Changes in the Urine’s Odor

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

In healthy people, urine in the bladder is sterile—no bacteria or other infectious organisms are present. The tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body (urethra) contains no bacteria or too few to cause an infection. However, any part of the urinary tract can become infected. An infection anywhere along the urinary tract is called a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Overview of Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
Urethritis
Bladder Infection
Kidney Infection
Asymptomatic Bacteriuria

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Urinary retention is inability to urinate or incomplete emptying of the bladder during urination. Urinary retention is more common among men because of

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