Urethritis Health Video

Video Transcript

JUSTIN C. K. DAVIS, MD: Hi, I'm Dr. Justin Davis and today, I'll be talking to you about a condition known as urethritis. Urethritis describes when the urethra becomes inflamed. The most common cause is infection but other things can cause this as well. The urethra is the last part of the urinary system before the urine or other things that travel in the urinary system are excreted. So, first you have the kidneys, the kidneys make urine; these then are transported through small tubes known as ureters which go into the bladder. The bladder then empties into the urethra which excretes the urine in both men and women. The urethra in men will travel through the penis and is also responsible for excreting certain sexual fluids like semen; and in the women, the urethra comes out just above the vagina and is really just responsible for getting rid of urine. The symptoms of urethritis typically are pain in the urethra or an urge to go to the bathroom; sometimes, you will have blood but it is usually a general discomfort. Sometimes, men also will have discharge that comes out of the urethra. Treatment is really based upon what is causing the problem. So, if it is an infection, it is important to know what kind of infection, probably, the most common type of infection particularly in women to cause a urethritis would be from just regular bacteria that is causing urinary tract infection. In men, this can also cause urethritis but also common particularly in young men are diseases like gonorrhea and chlamydia which can cause a urethritis. In both cases, it is important to identify and treat properly because it can travel up to the kidneys particularly in women causing a kidney infection which can be much more serious; or in men, it can also travel into some of the other sexual organs like the testicles causing what's called an orchitis or an epididymitis which is much more serious and more painful and more difficult to treat. So prevention, well prevention is aimed at early identification, going to a doctor, having a doctor do a test that will tell you if there is an infection or another cause; and if there is an infection, what is the most likely organism causing that and what kind of medicine to take. And in the case of a sexually transmitted disease, of course, careful sex practices and use of condoms is an excellent way to prevent urethritis. Action, again, is really mostly just letting someone know at the start of these symptoms as if they are untreated they can progress into something more serious.