Urinary diseases Flashcards
(145 cards)
How does a UTI present?
Dysuria (pain on micturition), frequency and smelly urine.
- If very young = unwell, failure to thrive
- Very old = incontinence, off their feet
What is a UTI?
Urinary tract infection
What are the bacteriostatic properties of a normal urinary tract?
- Free flow of urine through normal anatomy - assume drinking enough fluids.
- Low pH, high osmolarity, and high ammonia content of normal urine
- Prostatic secretions are bacteriostatic
- anti-bacterial antibodies
Is a normal renal tract sterile?
Urinary tract sterile except for terminal urethra which contains perineal and gut flora.
Why do we want a Mid Stream Specimen of urine?
Urethra flora diminished but always present.
Patients void and stop mid stream, discarding urine then collects next volume.
How can we tell contamination is from real infection?
MSSU - microbiology for culture under set conditions.
Can count the number of bacteria - 10 to power 5 = usually infection. (99% accuracy)
10 to power 3-4 = infections sometimes ( if symptoms) more likely.
Less than 10 to 3 = usually no infection.
What are the main micro-organisms that cause UTI?
Gut flora - especially E.coli
Viral infection rare.
What is the route of infection?
Almost always ascending: Infection in kidneys usually infection has spread up from bladder. Upper UTI = more serious.
What is:
- Urethritis
- Cystitis
- Ureteritis
- Acute/chronic pyelonephritis?
- Inflammation of urethra
- Inflammation of bladder
- Inflammation of ureter
- Inflammation of kidney / If recurrent to prolonged chronic inflammation.
What are the predisposing factors to UTI?
- Stasis of urine
- Pushing bacteria up urethra from below
- Generalised predisposition to infection
What can cause stasis of urine?
- Obstruction, congenital or acquired
2. Loss of feeling of full bladder - spinal cord/brain injury
What can cause pushing bacteria up urethra from below?
- sexual activity in females
2. Catheterisation (other urological procedures)
What are the consequences of obstruction?
- Proximal dilatation
- slowed urine flow - cannot flush out bacteria - infection
- Slowed urine flow - sediments form calculous (stone) formation - obstruction
- Triad - infection - calculi - obstruction.
What are the common causes of obstruction in adults?
Men - benign prostatic hyperplasia of prostate - functional and anatomical obstruction.
Women - uterine prolapse
Both sexes - tumours and calculi.
What can causes obstruction in children?
Numerous renal tract abnormalities
Most important example = vesicoureteric reflux.
What is vesicoureteric reflux?
Decreased angulation - bladder - ureter reflux.
How does sexual activity in females cause UTI?
Tends to move lower urethral flora up the tract (back wall of urethra is just in front of vagina)
- Short urethra
- Lack of prostatic bacteriostatic secretion
- Closeness of urethral orifice to rectum
- pregnancy - pressure on ureters and bladder.
What are some of the generalised predisposition to infection that cause UTI’s?
Glucose in urine - diabetes
Poor function of WBC
What are the complications of UTI?
- Acute
- Chronic
- Severe sepsis and septic shock (bacteria get into blood)
- Chronic damage to kidneys if repeated infections - lead to hypertension, chronic renal failure
- Calculi - obstruction - hydroneophrosis.
What is contained in the filter barrier of the glomerulus?
Membrane:
Endothelial cell cytoplasm, basal lamina (connective tissue) and podocyte.
What are mesangial cells>
“tree like” group of cells which support capillaries
What is Glomerulonephritis?
Disease of glomerulus
Inflammatory or non-inflammatory
Primary or secondary.
Causes of Glomerulonephritis
Immunoglobulin depostition
Some are diseases with no immunoglobulin deposition e.g. diabetic glomerular disease.
What are the 4 common presentations of Glomerulonephritis?
- Haematuria (blood in urine)
- Heavy proteinuria (nephrotic syndrome)
- Slowly increasing proteinuria
- Acute renal failure