Urethritis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Female urinary tract

Urethritis

Symptoms:

In men:

Dysuria (burning pain with urination)
Increased urinary frequency or urgency
Itching, tenderness, or swelling in penis or groin area
Fever (rare)
Discharge from penis (usually moderate, yellow or clear, possibly purulent)
Pain with intercourse or ejaculation
Blood in the urine or semen

text continues below

In women:

Dysuria
Increased urinary frequency or urgency
Fever and chills
Nausea and vomiting
Abdominal pain
Vaginal discharge
PID (pelvic inflammatory disease)
Other infections of reproductive organs (cervicitis, salpingitis)
Fertility problems
Pelvic pain
Ectopic pregnancy
Complications of pregnancy (miscarriage, preterm delivery, premature rupture of membranes, fetal infection, postpartum infection)

Signs and tests:

A thorough physical examination of genitourinary tract needs to be performed.

For men, this includes abdomen, flank, suprapubic (bladder) area, penile, scrotal and digital rectal exams. These exams may reveal tender and enlarged inguinal lymph nodes (groin area), discharge from the penis, or a tender and swollen penis.

Tests and findings:

Triple-void urine specimens for urinalysis and culture
- #1 initial stream
- #2 mid-stream
- #3 post (after) prostatic massage by examiner
Increased WBCs (inflammatory cells) and bacterial growth on culture in urine #1.
Blood may be noted in urine #1.
Cultures are obtained for gonorrhea and chlamydia.

For women, evaluation includes thorough abdominal and pelvic exams, evaluation for lower abdominal tenderness, uterine and adnexal tenderness, and purulent (pus)discharge from the urethra or cervix. Microscopic examination of the discharge may also aid in the diagnosis.

Laboratory tests include: