Urology Explained

Urology is a word that encompasses many different medical conditions. At some point in our lives 1 in 2 of us will experience a Urological issue. For something so common, there is a general lack of awareness and understanding of Urological disease.

As part of The Urology Foundation’s “Urology Awareness Month” we aim to increase understanding of the Urinary system and help decode medical terminology to make understanding such conditions that little bit easier.

The Urinary system is made up of two parts:

Lower Urinary Tract: The bladder and urethra

Upper Urinary Tract: The kidneys and ureters

Kidneys play an important part in filtering waste products from blood to produce urine. Urine then passes into the bladder via the ureters. As the bladder fills, people feel the need to urinate and pass urine through the ureter.

Urological Conditions

Nephrotic Syndrome: A condition that causes kidneys to leak large amounts of protein into the urine.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): Usually caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract. Symptoms include pain during urination, pain in your lower tummy, cloudy urine and a general feeling of being unwell.

Kidney Stones: When urine contains so much waste material that it crystalises to form small stones in the kidney. If these become large they can cause pain – increasingly so as they pass down the ureter.

Urinary Incontinence: This relates to the involuntary voiding of urine. Incontinence is commonly one of two types; Stress or Urge. Stress Incontinence is where you simultaneously leak urine whilst feeling a strong urge to urinate. Stress Incontinence is where you leak urine when you laugh, cough or sneeze.

Prostate Cancer: The most commonly diagnosed cancer in men in the UK. Common symptoms include an increased need to urinate, a feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied or straining when you urinate.

These are just a small selection of many Urological conditions. For more information visit The Urology Foundation