Urinary System and Its Diseases

The urinary system produces urine (a waste product that is excreted by kidneys), stores
the urine, and then eliminates it. The main organs that make up the urinary system are the
kidneys, the ureters, bladder, and urethra (Sampaio & Favorito, 2020). The kidneys produce the
urine which then travels through the ureters. The urine fills up in the bladder where it is stored.
Once the bladder is full, it is eliminated through the urethra when a person urinates.
Like other body systems, the urinary system is susceptible to diseases and injuries. The
main diseases that affect the urinary system are urinary tract infections (UTIs), interstitial
cystitis, and kidney stones. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common urinary
system diseases. UTI occurs when bacteria enter a person’s urinary tract. When they enter the
tract, they can affect the urethra or the bladder (Sampaio & Favorito, 2020). They can even affect
the kidneys. The condition is more common among women than men because of women’s
shorter urinary tract. As a bacterial infection, UTI is often treated using antibiotics.
The most common diagnostic test for the diseases of the urinary system are urinalysis,
urine culture, and CT scan. With regards to urinary tract infections, the main diagnostic tests
conducted to determine whether a person is infected or not are urinalysis and urine culture.
Urinalysis is a test that is done to determine the presence of bacteria, red blood cells, and white
blood cells in urine (Rogers, 2020). Presence of UTI is determined by the number of red blood
cells and white blood cells in the urine. Apart from urinalysis, urine culture is another test used
to determine presence of UTI. The test not only determines whether there are bacteria in the
urine or not, it also determines the number of bacteria in the urine (Rogers, 2020). Knowing the
number of bacteria in urine helps to determine the most effective treatment for the condition.

3
Once diagnosis has been conducted and a person is found to have urinary tract infection,
they are taken to a specialized healthcare provider for treatment. Some of the specialists that treat
UTI and other urinary system diseases are urologists, nephrologists, and gynecologists.
Urologists treat problems that affect any part of the urinary tract, including the urethra, bladder,
ureters, adrenal glands, and kidney. Gynecologists treat various urinary diseases in women while
nephrologists treat kidney diseases. These specialized healthcare providers often treat more
women than men because the prevalence of urinary system infections is higher among women
than men.

4

References

Rogers, J. (2020). Understanding the most commonly billed diagnoses in primary care: Urinary
tract infections. The Nurse Practitioner, 45(11), 35-40.
Sampaio F.J.B., Favorito L.A. (2020) Basic Anatomy of Urinary Tract. In: Favorito L. (eds)
Translational Research in Pediatric Urology. Springer, Cham.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50220-1_2.