7 Problems That Can Cause Urinary Tract Obstruction!

Lower Urinary tract obstruction refers to a condition of hindrance to urinary flow from bladder outwards. This can occur in all the age groups and affect either sex. The symptoms can be poor urine flow, intermittent flow, straining to pass urine or empty bladder, sense of incomplete emptying of bladder, difficulty in starting urination. Other problems can be increased urine frequency and difficulty to hold on with or without occasional urine leak in clothes. The cause and treatment vary in different age groups.

Few common reasons behind Lower Urinary Tract Obstruction:

1. Posterior Urethral Valves (PUV): This defect can be detected either before or after birth and need correction at earliest to avoid long-term complications. It is usually brought to attention by parents who observe abnormal urine flow pattern of their child or found out during evaluation for repeated urinary tract infections.

2. Urethral Stricture: This is narrowing in a long tube that starts from bladder to the external urinary opening. It can be idiopathic, post-traumatic, or due to urethral infections. Usually, a person is able to recognise poor urine flow and bring it to the attention of urologist.? Treatment for stricture depends on various factors and range from simple endoscopic surgery to open surgeries.

3. Bladder Neck Obstruction: Bladder neck is a network or a group of muscles that connect the bladder to the urethra. The muscles tighten to hold urine in the bladder, and relax as they release it through the urethra. Urinary tract obstruction occurs when there are abnormalities blocking the bladder neck that restricts its opening during urination.

4. BPH: This occurs due to enlarged prostate obstruction urine flow out of bladder. Prostate enlargement is mostly age-related and rarely due to prostatic tumors. Urinary stones. This can be usually recognized by sudden obstruction to urine flow in person who was voiding normally. These episodes might be recurrent due to movement of stone in between bladder and urethra.

5. Phimosis: Phimosis is another major reason behind urinary tract obstructions.

6. Urethral Meatal Stenosis: Meatal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the urethral opening (meatus). In case of significant narrowing, the affected person faces trouble in urine flow from the bladder which leads to not empty the bladder completely. If the person keeps it untreated, it can lead to urinary tract infections and other kidney related problems.