Women have a high risk (over 50 percent) of developing a urinary tract infection (UTI), especially in the case of pregnancy; where a urine test is required even if there are no symptoms because a urine infection can be dangerous for both maternal and infant health.
Causes
The essential cause is the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli), found in the digestive system. Chlamydia and mycoplasma bacteria can cause infection in the urethra, but not in the bladder.
When the infection is located:
-In the bladder: cystitis.
-In the urethra: urethritis.
-In the kidney: pyelonephritis.
The ureters are very rarely the site of infection.
Risk factors
-Sexual intercourse with multiple or new partners (especially Chlamydia and gonorrhea).
Before thinking about a prostate problem like BPH and get an ultrasound image of your prostate, the doctor required urine tests (urine analysis and urine culture) to confirm the diagnostic of UTI.
Treatment for a UTI in men
To treat UTIs, the doctor prescripts an antibiotic based on the nature of the bacteria that caused the infection.
The patient will probably start taking the antibiotic before getting the results of his urine test.
When the results are done, your doctor may change the prescription if the test shows that the bacteria causing your UTI is resistant to this antibiotic.
In case of a lower urinary tract infection, the treatment will take a week or less; and if you have an upper-tract infection, you may need to take antibiotics for up to 2 weeks.
Some tips to prevent UTI in men
You should:
-Empty your bladder often.
-Drink a lot of water.
-Clean the area under the foreskin after showering if not circumcised.
-Clean your genital organ before and after sex; to remove bacteria.
-Clean from front to back when toileting.
-Wearing condoms during sexual relations.
-Urinate after sex, to remove any bacteria that might have been passed during intercourse.
-Prostate problems in older men: BPH, prostatitis.
-An abnormal narrowing of the urethra.
-Dehydration.
-Resist the urge to urinate for too long.
-Not been circumcised.
-A past UTI.
-Anal intercourse.
-Medication that affects the immune system.
-A procedure that used instrumentation on the urinary tract.
UTI Complications
If the lower UTI is not treated, your kidneys can be affected by the infection. If the kidney infection is untreated, the patient can have chronic kidney disease or kidney failure; and this infection can lead to sepsis.
Can urinary tract infections cause infertility in males?
Some urine infections can cause infertility in man:
Chlamydia
This is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by bacterial infection. The symptoms include urination burn, enlarged testicles, and discharges from the penis. When this infection is not treated, it can cause infertility in men by blocking the production of sperm.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is another STI that can cause infertility in men. The symptoms include green, yellow, or white secretions from the penis, dysuria, burn on the penis, pain in the enlarged testicles. It can lead to an infection of the prostate gland, and the diminution of the quality and the production of the sperm.
Mycoplasma
Mycoplasma (STI) can decrease the motility of sperm cells; which can lead to infertility.
The prostate is a gland located in the lower urinary tract, under the bladder, and around the urethra. Only men have a prostate. It produces the fluid which carries semen. The prostate has smooth muscles which help to push out the semen during ejaculation.
A normal prostate is about the size of a large walnut and has a volume of 20 milliliters. The prostate slowly grows as men grow older.
2 main diseases affect the prostate
Prostate cancer
Benign prostate hyperplasia
One is independent of the other and they can both coexist in the same patient.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor in the prostate. The treatment and experience depend on the specific characteristics of the tumor and the expertise of your medical team. Most prostate cancers develop slowly and do not cause symptoms. Fast-growing prostate cancer is less common. The risk of getting prostate cancer increases with age. This is why some authorities recommend screening after the age of 50 and sometimes at younger ages specially in the presence of positive family history. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in elderly men in Europe. The survival rate for prostate cancer is relatively high and is still going up with the help of advanced technology.
Treatment of Prostate Cancer
If the cancer is still limited to the prostate, surgical removal of the prostate or radiotherapy carries high chances of curing the patient.
With the help of cutting edge technology, like robotic surgery, the removal of the prostate had become a routine quick surgery with outstanding functional outcomes. Meaning, early recovery and return to daily activities. Very high continence rates and preservation of erection when possible depending on the type of tumor.
The expertise of the team performing this surgery and the technology being used is in direct relation with the outcomes and patient satisfaction. When done in expert hands, average hospital stay is being only 1 to 2 days and most of the time, the patients are being sent home without foley catheter as we are performing a special reconstruction and anastomosis prosposed by Dr. Alex Mottrie that allows us to remove the catheter on day 2 post op.
For more information on treatment of prostate Cancer through surgical approach (Robotic assisted Radical Prostatectomy), please check the interview below in which Dr. Fouad Khoury describes the advantages of minimally invasive robotic approach for those kind procedures.
Benign Prostate Enlargement
Prostate diseases are usually associated with older age. They can cause bothersome symptoms in the lower urinary tract in men over the age of 50. These symptoms may be caused by an enlargement of the prostate, a condition which is known as benign prostate enlargement.
It is a common condition and is related to hormonal changes that happen as men grow older. Prostate diseases can be very worrying, however, it is not prostate cancer. It does not become prostate cancer, even if it is left untreated, however, can cause bothersome urinary symptoms. Both benign prostate enlargement and prostate cancer may develop with age and they can both coexist in the same patient.
Treatment of Benign Prostate Enlargement
Treatment can be medical or surgical depending on the case of the patient.
The main medications used in such treatments are:
Alpha-blockers
5 alpha-reductase inhibitors
Muscarinic receptor antagonists
Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors
A combination of medications
Herbal medications
In more advanced cases, surgery is recommended especially in the presence of:
Kidney failure
Dilatation of your kidneys
Inability to urinate (urinary retention)
Recurring urinary tract infection
Recurring blood in the urine
Bladder stone
Click on the following link for additional knowledge about Dr Fouad Khoury’s porfolio and expertise.
Stone is a hard, solid mass that can form in the ureter, bladder, and kidneys. Bladder stones usually develop as a result of bladder outlet obstruction, meaning difficulty in emptying the bladder. On the other hand, kidney stones form when minerals or acid salts in your urine crystallize. Most stones leave your body while you urinate. However, in some cases the stones may become large, get stuck and need treatment to remove them. Anyone may develop a kidney stone during his or her lifetime. Stones can form if there is an imbalance in the way your body produces urine. This may be connected to how much you drink and whether there are substances in your urine which trigger stone formation. People often associate kidney and ureteral stones with pain. However, symptoms can vary from severe pain to no pain at all, depending on stone characteristics – such as the size, shape, and location of the stone in the urinary tract. Usually, stones that are in the kidney do not cause pain unless they obstruct the junction between the kidney and ureter called ureteropelvic junction. Therefore, pain is only experienced whenever there is an obstruction to the flow of urine. When the stone is in the ureter, it can cause severe pain when it obstructs the ureter and blocks the flow of urine.
Treatment
Treatment can vary from medical to surgical.
Factors that influence the decision include:
• The symptoms
• Stone characteristics
• The medical history
• The kind of treatment available at the hospital and the expertise of your doctor
• Personal preferences of the patient
If the stone is likely to pass with urine, the doctor can prescribe medications to ease this process. This is called conservative treatment.
If the stone continues to grow or causes frequent and severe pain, you will get active treatment.
1. Conservative stone treatment
A significant number of kidney or ureteral stones will pass while you urinate. However, depending on the size and location of the stone, it will take some time to pass the stone. You may suffer from renal colic when the stone moves. If you have a very small stone there is a 95% chance of passing this stone within 6 weeks. Two very important factors influence the passage rate:
• The closer the stone is to the bladder, the higher the chance of passing it
• The bigger the stone, the smaller the chance of passing it There are 2 common conservative treatment options: Medical Expulsive Therapy (MET) and dissolving uric acid stones. In both cases you get medication.
2. Active stone treatment
Kidney stones or ureteral stones should be treated if they cause symptoms. There are 3 common ways to remove stones: shock-wave lithotripsy , ureteroscopy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
Which active treatment option is best for you depends on many aspects. The most important factor is the symptoms the stone causes. Based on whether the stone is in your kidney or your ureter, the doctor may recommend different treatment options. If you don’t have symptoms you may still get treatment in case:
• The stone continues to grow
• You are at recurrent stone former
• You have an infection
• Your stone is significantly large
• You prefer active treatment
Flexible ureteroscopy with laser dusting or fragmentation of stone has gained a lot of popularity during the last 10 years because of its high success in yielding stone-free kidney or ureter.
It is being performed more and more even for large kidney stones, being less invasive that percutaneous nephrolithotomy, causes less pain and is done without a single scar.
The success of the treatment depends considerably on the material being used and the expertise of the doctor carrying the treatment. For more information, feel free to check Dr Fouad Khoury’s portfolio.
Chronic pelvic pain is defined as pain that occurs below the umbilicus (belly button) that lasts for more than six months. It may or may not be associated with menstrual periods in female. Chronic pelvic pain may be a symptom caused by one or more different conditions.
Causes of Chronic Pelvic Pain
A variety of gynecologic, gastrointestinal, urologic, musculoskeletal and body-wide disorders can cause chronic pelvic pain.
A thorough history and proper physical examination are essential in order to determine the cause of the pain. Most patients become hopeless and end up on antidepressants after multiple failed attempts to relieve the symptoms.
It is indeed a challenging condition to treat, but if managed by the right team, success is always possible especially that many cases are caused by pudendal nerve entrapment.
If diagnosed properly, the release of the pudendal nerve by laparoscopic approach often cures the condition and patients go back to carry on their normal life after a longstanding period of misery.
For additional information about dr khoury’s surgeries, you can check the following Laparoscopic Sacrocolpopexy.
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