Synonym
Pain when urinating = Algurie
Introduction
Pain when urinating is a symptom that most women experience at least once in their lives. The causes are many and varied, but one of the most common reasons for the painful urge to go to the toilet is urinary tract infection, better known as cystitis. Besides the pain when urinating, there are often other symptoms that can help to get to the bottom of the cause.
In general, the majority of the diseases that are responsible for the pain when urinating can be easily treated. There are, although relatively rare, serious conditions that can be associated with pain while urinating. In this case, treatment is carried out by a specialist.
Cause
The most common cause of pain when urinating or burning after urination in women is a urinary tract infection, i.e. an inflammation of the urinary tract or bladder (cystitis). Women are affected by cystitis much more often than men because they have a much shorter urethra than men. Bacteria can therefore enter the bladder more quickly and lead to an inflammation there.
and What are the typical causes of a urinary tract infection? Another possible cause of pain when urinating in women is the presence of a sexually transmitted disease, which can become symptomatic if the urethra is involved in this form. Possible examples of such sexually transmitted diseases are infections with chlamydia or gonococcus which cause gonorrhea.
Pain when urinating can also be triggered by urinary stones, so-called bladder stones, which are found in the bladder. These bladder stones are caused by deposits of particles that are normally dissolved in urine. If, for example, the pH value of the urine is too low or if the corresponding substance is present in too large a quantity, it can crystallize into stones, which can then cause pain when urinating due to mechanical irritation of the bladder wall.
In some cases, a so-called irritable bladder can also be the cause of the pain. In this case, the bladder is overactive and there is an urge to urinate even though the bladder is not full. However, this irritable bladder is not based on a disease correlate, so it is still unknown what actually causes the irritable bladder.
Occasionally, pain during urination can also occur due to undesirable drug effects, such as the rare side effect of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Another possible cause of pain while urinating is injury to the urinary tract, for example as a result of trauma. In rare cases, a tumor in the bladder area also causes pain that can occur during urination. Furthermore, the pain can be a late consequence of radiation therapy. This does not even have to be specific to the bladder, but can also lead to irritation and damage to the bladder and urinary tract when the pelvis is irradiated, for example as a therapy for cancer, so that urination can be painful even without the involvement of bacterial pathogens.
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