How do you know if you have urethritis and how do you treat it?
Urethritis is an inflammation of the urethra, i.e. a channel through which the urine is washed out of the kidneys and the body. In a healthy body, urine is sterile but in inflammation bacteria, viruses, or fungi can be found in it.
When can you suspect that you have urethritis?
The symptoms of urethritis are quite similar to those of cystitis that is an inflammation of the bladder. But the thing is that urethritis symptoms are usually more pronounced in men than in women while women commonly have these symptoms in cystitis. However, it doesn’t matter who has the symptoms, a man or a woman, they should not try to treat the disease on their own and go to a urologist instead to get all necessary tests done and receive comprehensive treatment.
- Burning, pain, and itching when urinating;
- Excreta from the urethra of different color and consistency;
- Puffiness and redness of the outer part of urethra and genitalia;
- Sensitivity and painfulness of the genitalia;
- Pain or unpleasant sensations during intercourse;
- Frequent and intense urges to urinate even if a few drops can be released;
What are causes of urethritis and risk factors?
- Sexually-transmitted infections;
- Unprotected sex with different partners;
- Poor hygiene or use of other people’s hygienic products (for instance, towels);
- Medical procedures or surgeries with unsterile tools;
- Diet rich in salty, spicy, smoked, and pickled products;
- Daily alcohol consumption;
- Bacterial or other infections of the urinary and reproductive systems.
Why is it important to go to a doctor rather than treat the disease on your own?
Although you can buy antibiotics without prescriptions at online drugstores, it is still highly advisable to go to a doctor and do several tests because of several reasons.
First of all, urethritis can be caused by different bacteria that require of different drugs. The disease is mainly divided into gonococcal and non-gonococcal and they are treated differently.
Secondly, urethritis can be primary or secondary, i.e. it can occur on its own or result from the spread of infection from a different organ or body system. It is important to detect the nature of the disease, which can be done only by a doctor, because if there is another focus of infection, it should be treated too and in this case the choice of antibiotic or the dosages can be different.
Thirdly, if the disease is treated improperly or incompletely, it can cause various severe complications without you even knowing. For instance, urethritis is one of the major causes for male infertility.
How is urethritis diagnosed and treated?
The disease is diagnosed based on a patient’s survey, physical examination, urine test, and, if needed, a test of the discharges from urethra mad with a swab.
The treatment of the disease depends on the pathogen that caused it and the fact whether the disease is complicated or not (for instance, if kidneys are also affected), if the disease is primary or infection has spread from another organ.
For gonococcal urethritis, Ceftriaxone or Spectinomycin and Doxycycline are used.
Non-gonococcal urethritis is treated with Doxycycline, Azithromycin, or Metronidazole in case of trichomonas.
It is also important to remember that even if only one partner has the symptoms of urethritis and confirmed diagnosis, another sexual partner(s) should also undergo the same treatment simultaneously to avoid repeated transmission of the infection.