The kidneys are organs about the size of your fist that sit not far from the spinal column above the lower back. Unlike the appendix, as one example, they perform a variety of vital functions. Dual kidney failure means death. Luckily, the body provides two and one can do the job by itself. But, what [...]

Cystitis is an inflammation that affects the bladder and a type of lower urinary tract infection. Symptoms can include a burning sensation during urination, more frequent or intense urgency, or even blood in the urine. Pain in the lower abdomen is possible, too. Because any of these can easily accompany other conditions, it’s important to [...]

Everyone is familiar with the feeling of a full bladder. They usually know, too, that when you feel that urge to urinate, it’s because the ‘bladder is full’. But what exactly is the bladder and how does it get full? What happens then? The bladder is filled by the kidneys, small organs that lie ‘upstream’ [...]

Urinary tract infection is just what it sounds like – an infection anywhere in the urethra, bladder, ureters, or kidneys. Its severity can range from not noticeable to life-threatening. The most common areas affected are the urethra and bladder, and more often in women than men. Some of the potentially noticeable signs include a burning [...]

We diet. We exercise. We concern ourselves with our heart, lungs, and body in general. But we much less often think about our urinary tract – bladder, kidneys, and the rest. It’s something we just don’t pay attention to until something goes wrong. But the kidneys and bladder and the components that connect them play [...]

Dialysis is a procedure to filter the blood, made necessary when the kidneys can’t. But filter what? How does it replace what the kidneys do? What does it involve? First, why do we need kidneys (or an artificial substitute) at all? Chemical reactions that take place during cellular activity produce waste products. Those products move [...]

The bladder is among the simpler organs in the body, with a simple task. It stores urine and eliminates it when we need to. But simple or not, it is subject to a number of possible problems including cystitis, cancer, and incontinence. But, as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a [...]

Some medications can produce bladder problems, such as incontinence. But there are also many that can help treat them. Lower urinary tract infections, for example, will respond well to a regime of antibiotics. Cipro and amoxicillin are commonly used to treat cystitis, one form of bladder inflammation that results from excess bacterial growth in or [...]

Urinary incontinence is the inability to control the timing of urination. It causes a person to ‘go’ against his or her will. But there are different types and knowing what they are provides guidelines for overcoming this annoying problem. Under usual circumstances, a series of ring-like sphincter muscles automatically squeeze closed the base of the [...]

Diagnosis Self-diagnosis of urinary tract infections is a tricky business. Some of the common symptoms – ranging from painful urination to severe back pain – often accompany other conditions. An STD (sexually transmitted disease) may be the root cause, or the back pain may be the product of a pinched nerve. Misdiagnosis is all too [...]