Symptoms of the kidneys | Symptoms of internal diseases

Symptoms of the kidneys

Pain or “burning” during urination typically occurs as part of a urinary tract infection. In colloquial speech, this is often referred to as “cystitis“, although the inflammation is not limited to the bladder. In most cases, a urinary tract infection is caused by the penetration of external pathogens, e.g. from the urine, into the urethra.

From there the pathogens can migrate into the bladder. In extreme cases, the infection can rise further into the ureter and to the renal pelvis. However, there are also other causes of pain when urinating, in men, for example, diseases of the prostate.

You can find detailed information on this under Pain when urinating. The kidneys are located on both sides of the spine and behind the abdominal organs, even behind the peritoneum in the so-called retroperitoneal space. This means that they are located in the area of the flanks on the back and can be examined by tapping this region.

If pain occurs when tapping or even at rest, this is called flank pain. This is typical for kidney diseases, especially for inflammation of the renal pelvis or the renal corpuscles (glomerulonephritis). Blood in the urine is in the majority of cases a symptom of not too severe a disease.It usually occurs in the context of a severe urinary tract infection (see above).

In addition to the blood cells, the urine then also contains an excessive amount of protein. Another possible cause of blood in urine in men is benign enlargement of the prostate (prostate hyperplasia). In rare cases, however, a malignant disease such as bladder cancer can also be the cause of the blood. Therefore, blood in the urine should be clarified by a doctor.

Other symptoms of internal diseases

Oedema is the term used to describe fluid accumulation in the so-called interstitial tissue that lies between organs or other structures. Oedema usually occurs due to gravity in the legs or around the ankles. Oedema occurs when fluid is flushed out of the vessels, which can have various causes.

Above all, if the blood is no longer being conducted quickly enough or the filtration of the blood is no longer functioning properly, excess fluid in the tissue occurs. This can occur in cases of kidney failure (lack of filtration), heart failure (lack of pumping capacity) or liver failure (backwater of blood in front of the liver). You can find detailed information under Edema.