How does the urinary system work with other systems

As you know, the body is made up of different systems that all work together to keep us healthy and functioning. The urinary system, or urinary tract, plays a big part in keeping your body running in tip-top shape. When it’s not working properly, it can lead to larger health issues. But before we can get into more in-depth topics and urologic conditions, we should understand how the urinary system works. 

What the Urinary System Does

The urinary system, or urinary tract, is responsible for removing liquid waste from the body in the form of urine. You can think of it as your body’s drainage system. As a system, it filters, transports, stores, and expels the excess water and waste products in your blood. The filtration performed by the urinary tract is vital to keep the body healthy. Without this system, your blood would be full of waste products and extra water. This could cause other systems, like the cardiovascular system, to malfunction and cause serious health issues.

Anatomy of the Urinary Tract

In order for your urinary tract to function properly, all of the organs in the system must be working together correctly. Each organ has a specific function to carry out and if one part of the system is not working right, the rest are unable to do their jobs. There are four parts of the urinary tract: the kidneys, the ureters, the bladder, and the urethra.

Kidneys

The kidneys are a crucial part of the urinary system and play a big role in keeping your body working correctly. The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that are located just below the rib cage, with one on either side of the spine. The kidneys are about the size of a fist. These organs are working at all times to filter your blood. They remove excess water and waste from the blood. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the kidneys filter about 120 to 150 quarts of blood each day to produce about 1 to 2 quarts of urine.

Ureters

The ureters are two thin tubes of muscle that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. There is one tube extending from each kidney.

Bladder

The bladder is a hollow balloon-shaped organ located in between the pelvic bones in the pelvis. The bladder’s walls are made of muscle tissue. Urine travels from the kidneys and through the ureters and is collected in the bladder. The bladder’s muscular walls are relaxed when it is empty and expand as it fills with urine. The bladder can hold about 1.5 to 2 cups of urine. 

Once the bladder is full, the brain receives a signal that it needs to be emptied. When it is emptied, urine leaves the bladder and travels through the urethra.

Urethra

The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. It allows us to get rid of liquid waste through urination. In males, the urethra ends with an opening at the end of the penis. In females, the urethra ends with an opening in front of the vagina. 

Keeping Your Urinary System Healthy

As mentioned before, a well functioning urinary system is key to overall health. There are some easy steps you can take every day to keep your urinary tract healthy and working properly.

• Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water will flush out your system to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and kidney stones.
• Make good food choices: Eating a diet low in sodium and high in calcium can lower your risk of developing kidney stones.
• Try pelvic floor exercises: Kegel exercises can help women strengthen the muscles in their pelvic floor and protect against urinary incontinence.
• Practice safe sex: Take precautions against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by using condoms during intercourse. If you have multiple partners, getting tested regularly is also recommended. STIs can cause damage to the urinary tract.
• Wipe in the right direction: Women should pay attention when wiping after using the bathroom. Wiping front to back will reduce the risk of bacteria getting into the vagina and/or urethra. Those bacteria can cause a UTI.
• Empty the bladder after sex: If you’re a woman, urinating after intercourse can help clear bacteria from the urethra. This may reduce your risk of developing a UTI.

Alliance Urology Specialists provide comprehensive urologic care for adults in the Greensboro, NC area. Our practice strives to provide compassionate care using state of the art medical technology. If you have questions about any urologic issues, call our office at (336) 274-1114 to make an appointment.

The urinary system, also known as the renal system, produces, stores and eliminates urine, the fluid waste excreted by the kidneys. The kidneys make urine by filtering wastes and extra water from blood. Urine travels from the kidneys through two thin tubes called ureters and fills the bladder. When the bladder is full, a person urinates through the urethra to eliminate the waste.

The urinary system is susceptible to a variety of infections and other problems, including blockages and injuries. These can be treated by a urologist or another health care professional who specializes in the renal system.

Description of the urinary system

The urinary system works with the lungs, skin and intestines to maintain the balance of chemicals and water in the body. Adults eliminate about 27 to 68 fluid ounces (800 to 2,000 milliliters) per day based on typical daily fluid intake of 68 ounces (2 liters), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Other factors in urinary system function include fluid lost through perspiring and breathing. In addition, certain types of medications, such as diuretics that are sometimes used to treat high blood pressure, can also affect the amount of urine a person produces and eliminates. Some beverages, such as coffee and alcohol, can also cause increased urination in some people.

The primary organs of the urinary system are the kidneys, which are bean-shaped organs that are located just below the rib cage in the middle of the back. The kidneys remove urea — waste product formed by the breakdown of proteins — from the blood through small filtering units called nephrons, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Each nephron consists of a ball formed of small blood capillaries, called a glomerulus, and a small tube called a renal tubule. Urea, together with water and other waste substances, forms the urine as it passes through the nephrons and down the renal tubules of the kidney.

From the kidneys, urine travels down two thin tubes, called ureters, to the bladder. The ureters are about 8 to 10 inches long (20 to 25 centimeters), according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Muscles in the ureter walls continuously tighten and relax to force urine away from the kidneys, according to the NIH. A backup of urine can cause a kidney infection. Small amounts of urine are emptied into the bladder from the ureters about every 10 to 15 seconds.

The bladder is a hollow, balloon-shaped organ that is located in the pelvis. It is held in place by ligaments attached to other organs and the pelvic bones, according to the Kidney & Urology Foundation of America. The bladder stores urine until the brain signals the bladder that the person is ready to empty it. A normal, healthy bladder can hold up to 16 ounces (almost half a liter) of urine comfortably for two to five hours.

To prevent leakage, circular muscles called sphincters close tightly around the opening of the bladder into the urethra, the tube that allows urine to pass outside the body. The only difference between the female and male urinary system is the length of the urethra, according to Merck Manuals. In females, the urethra is about 1.5 to 2 inches long (3.8 to 5.1 cm) and sits between the clitoris and the vagina. In males, it is about 8 inches (20 cm) long, runs the length of the penis and opens at the end of the penis. The male urethra is used to eliminate urine as well as semen during ejaculation.

Diseases of the urinary system

Different specialists treat urinary system ailments. Nephrologists treat kidney diseases, while urologists treat problems with the urinary tract, including the kidneys, adrenal glands, ureters, bladder and urethra, according to the American Urological Association (AUA). Urologists also treat the male reproductive organs, while gynecologists often treat urinary diseases or disorders in females, including yeast infections. Nephrologists and urologists often work with endocrinologists or oncologists, depending on the disease.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) occur when bacteria enter the urinary tract; they can affect the urethra, bladder or even the kidneys. While UTIs are more common in women, they can occur in men. UTIs are typically treated with antibiotics, according to Dr. Oscar Aguirre, a urogynecologist in Denver. In the United States, about 8.1 million people have a urinary tract infection each year, according to the American Urological Association.  

Incontinence is another common disease of the urinary system. "The most common bladder problems I see in my practice in women are frequent urges to urinate and leakage of urine," said S. Adam Ramin, urologic surgeon and founder of Urology Cancer Specialists in Los Angeles. "The most common bladder problems in men are frequent urination at nights and incomplete bladder emptying. This is usually due to an enlarged prostate causing obstruction of bladder emptying."

Problems can come in the form of a pelvic prolapse, which can result in leakage and can be the result of a vaginal delivery. Then there is the overactive bladder, "which we see a lot and is not related to having children or trauma," Aguirre said. A third condition involves overflow, in which the bladder does not completely empty.

"Holding your urine for a short period of time, usually up to one hour, is typically okay," said Ramin. "However protracted and repeated holding of urine may cause over-expansion of bladder capacity, transmission of excess pressure into the kidneys, and the inability to completely empty the bladder. These problems in turn may lead to UTI [urinary tract infection], cystitis and deterioration of kidney function."

Some common treatments involve medications, physical therapy and pelvic mesh surgery, Aguirre noted. Vaginal laser surgery is also becoming a viable treatment option, he explained. "In another 10 to 15 years, vaginal laser surgery will be another common option for the treatment of urinary conditions."

Interstitial cystitis (IC), also called painful bladder syndrome, is a chronic bladder condition, primarily in women, that causes bladder pressure and pain and, sometimes, pelvic pain to varying degrees, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can cause bladder scarring, and can make the bladder less elastic. While the cause isn't known, many people with the condition also have a defect in their epithelium, the protective lining of the bladder.

Prostatitis is a swelling of the prostate gland and, therefore, can only occur in men. Often caused by advanced age, symptoms include urinary urgency and frequency, pelvic pain and pain during urination, the Mayo Clinic noted.

Kidney stones are clumps of calcium oxalate that can be found anywhere in the urinary tract. Kidney stones form when chemicals in the urine become concentrated enough to form a solid mass, according to the Cleveland Clinic. They can cause pain in the back and sides, as well as blood in the urine. Many kidney stones can be treated with minimally invasive therapy, such as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, which disintegrates the kidney stones with shock waves.

Kidney failure, also called renal failure and chronic kidney disease, can be a temporary (often acute) condition or can become a chronic condition resulting in the inability of the kidneys to filter waste from the blood. Other conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, can cause chronic kidney disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Acute cases may be caused by trauma or other damage, and may improve over time with treatment. However, renal disease may lead to chronic kidney failure, which may require dialysis treatments or even a kidney transplant.

Bladder cancer is diagnosed in about 75,000 Americans each year and is more frequent in men and the elderly according. It is predicted that 81,190 new cases of bladder cancer (about 62,380 in men and 18,810 in women) and bout 17,240 deaths from bladder cancer (about 12,520 in men and 4,720 in women) will occur in 2018, according to American Cancer Society. The symptoms, including back or pelvic pain, difficulty urinating and urgent/and or frequent urination, mimic other diseases or disorders of the urinary system.

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