What to do if the urethra is red, swollen, painful and itchy

Many people always feel extreme pain in their urethra after having sex. This is a normal phenomenon caused by excessive traction on the glans penis and generally does not require excessive worry. However, if the redness, swelling and pain at the urethral opening persists for a long time, you need to consider whether it is infected. You need to go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment in time. If not treated, it may lead to serious sexual dysfunction. So, what should you do if your urethra is red, swollen, painful and itchy?

1. Cause

Redness and swelling of the urethral opening is a manifestation of genitourinary system infection, and acute urethritis is the most common in men.

Urethritis is an inflammation of the urethral mucosa. The causes of the disease are multifaceted, the most fundamental of which is the invasion of the urethra by pathogenic microorganisms (such as gonococci, mycoplasmas, chlamydia, Candida albicans, etc.). In addition, masturbation, smoking, drinking, wearing tight underwear, riding a bicycle for a long time, foreign objects in the urethra, etc. can reduce the resistance of the urethral mucosa and make it easy to get infected.

Purulent secretions appear in the urethra, which are mucous at first and gradually become purulent, accompanied by redness and swelling of the urethral orifice, mucosal eversion, urgency, frequency, pain, urethral stinging, mental depression, and in severe cases, chills, high fever, and difficulty urinating.

Patients with chronic urethritis will have less secretions, and symptoms such as frequent urination, painful urination, and urgency will be alleviated during non-acute attacks, accompanied only by itching or a crawling sensation, and some patients may be asymptomatic. It is often easily overlooked and misdiagnosed.

According to statistics, if urethritis is not cured for a long time or is allowed to develop, 20% of chronic renal failure is caused by urethritis, and nearly 80% of patients with sexual dysfunction and infertility are related to the lesions of urethritis. At the same time, because the bacteria lurking in the urethra enter the urethral crypts, paraurethral glands, bulbar urethra, prostate and seminal vesicle, vas deferens, epididymis and testicles, a series of complications such as cystitis, prostatitis, paraurethral abscess, urethral fistula, etc., are caused, which is very harmful to male reproductive health.

2. Inspection Methods

1. Ultrasound examination: The image formed by the echo of ultrasound in the kidneys can reveal changes in the shape, size and internal structure of the kidneys.

2. Urinalysis: Urine examination can reveal pus cells, red blood cells, urine color, transparency, etc., which is helpful for diagnosis.

3. Check for signs of urethritis: whether there are any symptoms of irritation at the urethral opening, whether the urethral opening is red, swollen or has purulent secretions, and whether there is tenderness along the urethra.

4. Secretion staining and bacterial culture: If there are other symptoms and an accurate diagnosis cannot be made, a urethral secretion smear staining or bacterial culture should be performed to check for pathogenic bacteria, which can be used to differentiate it from gonococcal urethritis.