​The difference between nephrology and urology

Many people wonder which department they should go to when they see a doctor. Ordinary people, without medical expertise, naturally cannot distinguish their own illnesses well and know which department they belong to. So sometimes, people will feel very conflicted. Going to the wrong department will not only waste the registration fee, but may also delay the condition and treatment of the disease, or even make the disease more serious. Next, let me tell you what is the difference between nephrology and urology?

Urology covers organs such as the kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra, and the male reproductive system including the testicles, epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, prostate, scrotum, and penis.

The scope of diagnosis and treatment of the urology department includes: prostatitis; prostatic hyperplasia; prostate cancer; urinary tract infections (urethritis, mycoplasma, chlamydia infection, gonorrhea, non-gonococcal urethritis, etc.); urinary stones; kidney cancer, ureteral cancer, bladder cancer; urinary incontinence and other urological surgical diseases. Varicocele; hydrocele: testicular hydrocele, spermatic hydrocele, communicating hydrocele; female urology: urinary tract infection, urethral caruncle, urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, etc.

Urologists can treat "medical diseases" (meaning those that do not require surgical treatment), such as urinary tract infections; they can also treat "surgical diseases", such as correction of congenital malformations and surgical treatment of cancer. Only about 20% of patients receiving urological treatment require surgery.

Urologists are also involved in the evaluation and treatment of urinary incontinence. Urodynamics is a series of instruments that measure changes in flow, storage, and pressure in the urinary system. Urologists often use uroflowmetry, bladder pressure mapping, or portable urodynamics as a reference for treating patients. Treatment may include prescription medications (such as oxybutynin or various alpha blockers), or surgery (such as a urethral sling).

Male diseases

The main male diseases treated by the Urology Department include:

1. Male urinary tract inflammation, such as epididymitis, urethritis, acute and chronic prostatitis, prostate hyperplasia (hypertrophy), etc.

2. Male sexual dysfunction and prostate diseases, such as impotence, premature ejaculation, spermatorrhea, infertility due to kidney deficiency, sequelae of excessive masturbation in adolescents, anejaculation, retrograde ejaculation, abnormal male sexual desire, etc.;

3. Male sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, chancroid, lymphogranuloma venereum, non-gonococcal urethritis, genital warts, and genital herpes;

4. Abnormal morphology of male external genitalia, such as short penis, excessive foreskin, phimosis, penile induration, varicocele, hydrocele and cryptorchidism.

Female diseases

1. Female urethral syndrome refers to a syndrome in which there are symptoms of bladder and urethra irritation but no organic lesions are found. The main manifestations are varying degrees of frequent urination, urgency, pain and difficulty urinating. The occurrence of this disease is related to unhappy marriage, childbirth, gynecological diseases or gynecological surgery. The incidence rate is higher among women who are depressed, nervous, anxious or neurasthenic, divorced, have family discord and have an disharmonious sexual life.

2. Overactive bladder, characterized by frequent urination and increased nocturia, sometimes accompanied by urinary urgency and incontinence. The cause of the disease is still not very clear. It may be related to the dysfunction of bladder muscle nerve regulation. Some patients may have sequelae of chronic bladder inflammation.

3. Stress urinary incontinence is a major disease that working women in my country are prone to. The cause is related to multiple childbirths or low estrogen levels after menopause, which causes relaxation of the pelvic floor support tissue. There are already many minimally invasive surgeries that can effectively cure this disease.

4. Urinary tract infection is the most common urological disease in women. It is mainly related to sexual contact in adolescence, fatigue and menstrual infection in middle-aged women, and low estrogen levels after menopause in elderly women, as well as decreased urothelial repair and anti-infection ability. In addition to paying attention to lifestyle adjustments, menopausal women can appropriately supplement with low doses of estrogen under the guidance of a specialist.

5. Urethral caruncle. This disease mostly occurs in middle-aged and elderly patients. It is related to long-term inflammatory stimulation and low repair ability of urothelial tissue in postmenopausal women. A small number of patients may develop malignant urinary tract tumors.

6. Bladder or urethra-vaginal fistula. The occurrence of this disease is mostly related to incorrect delivery methods. Patients are in great pain, and urine flows out of the vagina involuntarily for a long time, which often seriously affects work and normal life, and often leads to the breakdown of family relationships. It is an invisible demon that harms the vast number of working women.