What does a urologist do and when you should consult?
Urology is a branch of medicine that focuses on medical conditions of the male and female urinary tract system. The urologist is a medical professional that specializes in urinary system. You should consult a urologist for all mild urinary problems like urinary tract infections (UTI) to severe ailments like cancer. In most cases, your primary doctor refers you to a urologist if your symptoms persist for long durations or don’t improve.
A patient you should consult a urologist for treatment of a range of conditions:
Urinary tract infections (UTIs): These often arise when bacteria migrate from the digestive tract to the urethra. Symptoms include abnormal urination, pain, incontinence, nausea, vomiting, fevers, and chills. It mostly affects women.
Incontinence: A malfunction in the urinary system can lead to involuntary loss of bladder control. In women, this may result from a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy.
Male infertility: This can result from damage to the male reproductive tract and a variety of sperm disorders. One common cause is varicoceles, an enlarged vein in the sac beneath the penis. Surgery can sometimes help.
Kidney disease: Damage to the kidneys can lead to swelling in the hands and ankles, high blood pressure, and other symptoms. If the kidneys no longer work effectively, this is kidney failure. Ultimately, it can be fatal.
Renal transplantation: A person may require kidney transplants following kidney failure etc.
The urologist will have notes regarding your condition from the referring doctor, but they will still do an examination of the patient’s medical history and conduct a physical examination. Some of the tests your urologist might perform are:
- The first thing to do is to locate the problem. It is done by imaging tests like MRI scans, ultrasound, or CT scans.
- Cystoscopy, a medical imaging procedure that enables your doctor to examine the inside of the urinary tract by a cystoscope. The cystoscopy can also be used to collect tissue samples for testing.
- A basic urine test to check for the presence of bacteria or other signs of disease.
- Biopsy
Following diagnosis, the treatment will depend on the condition. Both medical management and surgery are options.
