What is Painful and Burning Urination
BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery), 6 years of experience
English हिन्दी Bengali العربية
Painful and burning urination is the condition where a person has discomfort in passing urine due to underlying conditions like bacterial infections, kidney stones, etc. It is a very common condition that most people experience once in their lifetime.
Let us tell you in detail about painful and burning urination.
- What is painful and burning urination?
- What are the causes of pain and burning urination?
- What are the symptoms of pain and burning urination?
- How to diagnose painful and burning urination?
- What are the treatments for painful and burning urination?
- What are the home remedies for painful and burning urination?
- How to prevent painful and burning urination?
- When should I see a doctor for painful and burning urination?
What is painful and burning urination?
Painful and burning urination, also known as Dysuria is a condition where the person is unable to pass urine due to pain, discomfort and burning sensation when person tries to urinate. This condition is also known as painful micturition. It is not a serious problem, but it can lead to other problems in the body like abnormal discharge, fever, etc. Contact a doctor immediately if you feel pain or burning sensation during urination. This problem occurs more commonly in women as compared to men. Older people suffer from it more than young people.
What are the causes of pain and burning urination?
The following are the most common causes of pain and burning urination.
- Infections– Urinary tract infections (UTI) are one of the main causes of pain and burning urination. These infections can occur in the bladder, kidneys, ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidney to bladder), or urethra (the tube that takes urine from the bladder and releases it from the body).
Urinary tract infections that cause painful and burning urination can occur due to various factors like-
- Kidney stones
- Pregnancy
- Diabetes
- Advanced age
- Due to catheter tube placed after any surgery
- Sexually transmitted infection (STI) – STI that causes pain and burning urination include Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, etc. These infections may also cause symptoms like abnormal discharge, itching.
- Vaginal infection- Sometimes pain while urinating is there due to yeast infections where there is abnormal vaginal discharge, odor.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) – It is a serious infection of the vagina that is caused due to bacteria and eventually affects ovaries, cervix and uterus. This causes painful urination and pain in the abdomen.
- Inflammation and irritation in the urinary tract and genital area- Here are some of the causes for inflammation and irritation of the urinary tract and the genital area that leads to painful and burning urination-
- Less water intake
- Prostatitis– This is the condition where there is inflammation of the prostate gland and causes burning urination.
- Urethritis– Bacterial infections may lead to inflamed urethra that causes painful urination.
- Stones present in the urinary tract
- Medications- Painful and burning urination happens due to side effects of certain medicines used for cancer treatments, antibiotics, supplements, etc.
- Tumors of the urinary tract
- Usage of chemical containing substances like bubble bath, toilet paper, scented soaps, etc. can cause irritation to the genital area and cause painful urination.
- Interstitial cystitis– It is a chronic, painful condition of the urinary bladder that causes painful and burning urination.
- Urethral stricture– This is narrowing of the urethra passage that causes painful urination.
- Other causes- Conditions like high body temperature, ovarian cysts, various liver diseases, bladder cancer, etc. may also cause painful and burning urination.
Know more about- Kidney transplant surgery in Hindi
What are the symptoms of painful and burning urination?
Painful and burning urination may be caused due to the above-stated conditions. The most common symptoms accompanied with this condition are-
- Stomach ache
- Fever
- Chills or feeling extremely cold
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Backache
- Excessive urination during the day or at night
- Blood in the urine ( Know more about- Blood in urine )
- Pain in the inner part of the thigh
- Itching or irritation
- Urinary urgency (a sudden urge to pee)
- Reduced flow when urinating
- Pain in the bladder, urethra or kidney
How to diagnose painful and burning urination?
To diagnose the conditions that cause painful and burning urination, the urologist will assess your complete medical history and ask you questions about your current and past medical conditions, such as diabetes mellitus, immunodeficiency disorders, any medications taken, recent history of surgery, any discharge from genital area, etc.
After doing a basic physical examination, the following lab tests are done to identify the cause of painful and burning urination-
- Screening Test for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) – Tests to screen for STIs may be done, especially if men have a discharge from their penis or women have discharge from their vagina along with burning urination.
- Pregnancy test – It’s done in women of childbearing age.
- Urine sample analysis and urine cultures – A urine sample will be taken and analyzed for white blood cells, red blood cells, foreign chemicals, culture tests to identify the bacteria causing infections if any, etc. The presence of white blood cells indicates inflammation in the urinary tract. This information can then be used to select the antibiotic treatment to resolve the infection causing painful urination.
- Blood Tests – Increase in the number of white blood cells indicates the presence of bacteria in the body. Pus cells indicate the presence of inflammation in the body.
- Ultrasound- This is done to identify kidney stones, stones in the urethra and the location of the same.
- CT scans and MRI scans- This is done if the underlying cause is suspected in any urinary tract tumor, solid masses, cysts, urinary tract strictures (obstructions).
- Additional tests- In men, tests for prostate and bladder analysis can be done to identify the underlying cause. Whereas in women, a swab sample of the vaginal lining or the urethra is taken to check for signs of infection.
Know more about- Penile burning sensation in Hindi
What are the treatments for painful and burning urination?
Treatment for painful and burning urination depends on the cause of it. Once the underlying cause is diagnosed after the above tests are done, the treatment is planned.
- The doctor usually prescribes some pain medicines and antibiotics to get relief from painful and burning urination. Antibiotics are used to treat UTIs, STIs, vaginal and bacterial infections.
- Dysuria due the underlying prostate or bladder condition is treated by addressing the same.
- Pain associated with conditions, such as interstitial cystitis, may be difficult to treat. Results from drug therapy may be helpful.
- If the underlying cause is kidney stones, or stones in other parts of the urinary tract then treatment is directed towards removal of these stones.
- Patients with frequent urinary tract infections or bladder infections must complete an antibiotic treatment of up to 6 months as prescribed by the doctor.
What are the home remedies for painful and burning urination?
- Drinking carrot juice mixed with some lemon and mint helps to get rid of painful and burning urination.
- Drink plenty of fluids. A person should drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water per day. This is because regular urination flushes out bacteria from the urinary tract to prevent infection. Along with this, consume vegetable juice as well. By this, the problem of burning urination is controlled.
- Drinking coconut water helps a lot because it contains several vitamins and minerals.
- Soak some coriander in the water at night and mix this soaked coriander with some honey and consume it. By using this, the person gets a lot of relief from painful and burning urine.
- Increase the consumption of vitamin C. By increasing vitamin C intake one can decrease the risk of UTIs by making the urine acidic, thus killing off infection-causing bacteria.
- Drinking unsweetened cranberry juice is a well-known natural remedy for urinary tract infections. Cranberries work by preventing bacteria to adhere to the urinary tract, thus preventing infection.
- Probiotics are effective in preventing recurrent UTIs.
How to prevent painful and burning urination?
Here are some ways how one can prevent painfully and burning urination-
- Urinate regularly
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Do not control the urge to urinate
- Keep the genitals clean
- Take showers instead of baths and avoid usage of any chemicals in the genital area.
- Avoid unprotected sex with multiple partners.
- Always use condoms to have safe sex and avoid using a diaphragm or spermicide.
- Urinate before bedtime and after sexual intercourse.
- Wear cotton and lose undergarments, non-binding clothing that does not absorb heat and moisture
When should I see a doctor for painful and burning urination?
One must visit the Urologist immediately if the person experiences the following symptoms- high fever (above 103 degrees F), continuous vaginal or penis discharge, blood in urine and severe pain in the lower back for more than 24 hours.
We hope that we could answer your questions regarding painful and burning urination through this article.
If you want more information and treatment for painful and burning urination, you can contact a Urologist.
We only aim to give you information through this article. We do not recommend medication, treatment in any way. Only a doctor can give you the best advice.
