Urethritis

What is urethritis?

The condition of inflammation of urethra is called urethritis. It mostly occurs due to a bacterial infection. It is different from a urinary tract infection (UTI), which can affect any part of the urinary tract from the bladder to the urethra. The symptoms of both the diseases may be similar but have different treatment methods. Urethritis affects all age groups but women are at a greater risk than men.

What are its main signs and symptoms?

Some of the common signs and symptoms are:

• Burning during urination
• Pain during urination
• Frequent urination
• Abdominal and pelvic pain
• Fever
• Swelling
• Pain during intercourse
• Vaginal discharge in women
• Penile discharge in men
• Blood in semen or urine in men
• Itching of penis in men
• Painful ejaculation in men

In women, the signs and symptoms may not be so clear.

What are the main causes?

Urethritis is caused due to various reasons such as:

• Injury.
• Spermicides or contraceptive jellies and foams.
• Bacteria causing urinary bladder and kidney infections.
• Adenovirus.
• Trichomonas vaginalis.
• Uropathogens like Escherichia coli.

How is it diagnosed and treated?

The doctor checks physically for possible abnormalities like swelling or discharge. Along with a detailed history taking, some of the tests performed are:

• Examination of the urethra.
• Insertion of swabs and observing the collected sample under a microscope.
• Cystoscopy – Inserting a tube with a camera into the bladder to check for abnormalities.
• Urine tests
• Complete blood count
• Specific tests to look for sexually transmitted diseases
• Pelvic ultrasound in women

After the diagnosis, the patient is treated by various methods such as :

• Prescribing proper antibiotics for a bacterial infection.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to control pain.
• Cranberry juice can be consumed orally for its high vitamin C content that promotes rapid healing of inflammation.

1. Department for Health and Wellbeing. Urethritis (non-specific) and urethral irritation diagnosis and management. Government of South Australia [Internet]
2. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: US National Library of Medicine; Urethritis
3. Young A, Wray AA. Urethritis. [Updated 2019 Jan 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-.
4. Center for Disease Control and Prevention [internet], Atlanta (GA): US Department of Health and Human Services; Diseases Characterized by Urethritis and Cervicitis
5. Better health channel. Department of Health and Human Services [internet]. State government of Victoria; Non-specific urethritis (NSU)