Medically reviewed by Holly McCain. Last updated on March 23, 2025
Various diseases of the genitourinary system are most often associated with sexual infections and the prostate gland.
Types:
A brief list of diseases of the genitourinary system in men and women:
Men’s diseases:
- Prostatitis – an inflammatory disease of the prostate;
- Vesiculitis – inflammation of seminal vesicles;
- Urethritis – an inflammatory process in the urethra;
- Colliculitis – inflammation of the seminal tubercle;
- Balanoposthitis – an inflammatory disease of the foreskin and glans penis;
- Orchitis – inflammation in the testicles;
- Epidimitis – an inflammatory disease of the epididymis.
Female diseases:
- Vaginitis – an inflammatory reaction in the vagina;
- Cystitis – inflammation of the bladder;
- Endometritis – a pathology of endometrial overgrowth;
- Salpingitis – inflammation of fallopian tubes;
- Oophoritis – an inflammatory reaction in the ovary;
- Bartholinitis – an inflammatory infection of the Bartholin glands.
Causes:
- Conscious or forced urine retention (for example, in truckers, couriers);
- Stones in the kidney and bladder;
- Systemic hypothermia, cold and viral diseases;
- Abuse of spicy foods, smoked products, alcoholic beverages, etc.;
- Non-compliance with personal hygiene;
- Sexually transmitted diseases;
- Congenital anomalies and pathologies.
Symptoms:
Genitourinary disorders in men and women have similar symptoms:
- Pain, scarring, burning in the external and internal genital organs;
- Discomfort and pain when urinating;
- Soreness of the inguinal region;
- Urge to urinate;
- Difficult or painful outflow of urine;
- Change in the color of urine, blood in urine.
Prevention:
Prevention of kidney and bladder diseases is the best prevention of genitourinary disorders. A healthy lifestyle is important – nutrition, regular exercise, hardening (to prevent hypothermia), and many other activities. Also, it is necessary to treat diseases of other systems timely, especially infectious diseases and sanitation of foci of chronic infection (carious teeth, chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis and others). If there is a chronic disease of the urinary system, then it is necessary to undergo medical examinations every year, even if the person considers himself healthy.
Treatment:
Modern medicine has a large selection of anti-infectious agents, so the main task in choosing an adequate treatment is to identify the causative agent of urinary tract disease and its resistance to antibacterial drugs. Urinary tracts are most often infected with E. coli, enterococci, staphylococci, proteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, in each specific case, a doctor may choose a drug that is not nephrotoxic and does not cause severe complications of other localization. The most drugs have a wide spectrum of action and can suppress both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. They suppress the bacterial DNA-gyres and do not affect the DNA-gyrase of fungi and humans. This explains their high selectivity for microbes and minimal toxicity for humans. The bactericidal effect occurs in a few hours. Fluoroquinolones have very high activity, that is, their minimal inhibitory concentrations against most pathogens of urinary tract infections are close to the average therapeutic concentrations.
Fluoroquinolones are used only in the absence of other broad-spectrum antibiotics. Treatment genitourinary disorders is carried out only by a doctor.
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