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Oliguria is a condition that occurs when an adult excretes 400-100 ml of urine per day. Passing this amount of urine usually indicates a medical condition, such as kidney disease or heart failure. There may be various causes of oliguria.
What is oliguria?
Oliguria is a condition with very different causes. Patients suffering from this condition urinate in small amounts, which is less than 400/500 ml per day in adults. The normal amount of urine excreted in a healthy person is usually 2,5 liters per day. In infants, oliguria is diagnosed when the amount of urine excreted is less than 1 millimeter per kilogram body weight per hour. In children, oliguria occurs when they pass half a milliliter of urine per kilogram of body weight per hour. Often, oliguria turns into anuria. Oliguria usually suggests the fact that our body is undergoing serious pathological changes in the urinary tract. Like anuria, it is a symptom that requires urgent determination of the cause and hospitalization.
The amount of urine we urinate depends on how much fluid we drink during the day. It is obvious that if we drink little, the amount of urine will be much smaller. However, if despite the large amount of fluids consumed, oliguria still persists, and additionally there are symptoms such as lack of appetite, weakness or hematuria – you should immediately see a doctor.
Types of oliguria
There are three types of oliguria in medical terminology.
1. Prerenal oliguria – it results from disorders in the renal circulation, which in turn lead to the secretion of smaller amounts of urine by the patient.
2. Renal oliguria – occurs due to damage to the structure of the kidneys, which may therefore stop filtering (this is their main task).
3. Oliguria of non-renal origin – it results from obstructed outflow of urine from the urinary tract.
The causes of oliguria
The causes of oliguria can be different depending on the cause of the condition.
Causes of renal oliguria:
- kidney diseases, which include: glomerulonephritis, acute or chronic renal failure, uremia or hydronephrosis. In addition to oliguria, kidney disease may also develop other symptoms, such as burning and soreness when urinating, blood in the urine, swelling of the hands, feet or ankles; swelling around the eyes or cloudy urine;
- sarcoidosis: this is a condition characterized by a lack of appetite, joint pain or a high fever;
- malignant arterial hypertension: visual disturbances, weakness, high diastolic pressure;
- radiological contrast agents;
- toxic substances;
- taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory preparations or medications for high blood pressure.
Causes of prerenal oliguria:
- heart failure: in addition to oliguria, there are shortness of breath, abnormal heartbeat, poorly tolerated effort, reduced amount of blood circulating in the body (may be due to haemorrhage or burns);
- cardiogenic or septic shock;
- dehydration which, in addition to oliguria, is characterized by fever, diarrhea and vomiting.
Causes of extrarenal oliguria:
- neoplastic tumors: they put pressure on the urinary tract, at first there is painful hematuria, then there is a need to urinate frequently, constant urge to urinate and pain;
- nephrolithiasis: apart from oliguria, there is very intense pain in the lumbar region, the patient feels a pressure on the bladder, moreover, there is vomiting, nausea and high temperature;
- Neurogenic bladder: This is a condition where the bladder can no longer be a reservoir of urine. As a consequence, urine is retained in the bladder and problems with its excretion;
- prostate cancer or enlarged prostate: patients complain of trouble urinating and a long time to empty the bladder;
- hematuria;
- postoperative adhesions;
- schistosomiasis (a parasitic disease caused by flukes).
Pregnant women and oliguria
Oliguria that appears in pregnant women may indicate pre-eclampsia (pregnancy poisoning)which endangers the lives of both mother and child. This condition is usually characterized by severe hypertension after 20 weeks gestation and proteinuria, and oliguria may appear. A consequence of pre-eclampsia is pregnancy eclampsia, which often leads to premature delivery, underage, detachment of the placenta, and even death of the child. In addition, this condition is life-threatening to the mother, who may develop a heart attack or kidney failure.
Treatment and diagnosis of oliguria
It is not possible to treat oliguria on your own, to find out its cause and choose the appropriate treatment, you should always consult a doctor. During a medical visit, a specialist conducts an interview with us, during which he asks a number of questions, for example, since when do we have symptoms of oliguria, did they appear suddenly, do they remain at the same level or maybe they have become exacerbated. We should inform the doctor about the amount of fluid consumed and urination (it is worth making a balance).
The doctor may recommend passing a control amount of urine, which is then analyzed for: color, uric acid and protein content, or any possible infection.
Important! You should also inform your doctor about any other symptoms or medications you are taking (even over-the-counter medications, e.g. dietary supplements).
Subsequently, the doctor recommends diagnostic tests to the patient, which include:
- computed tomography,
- blood analysis,
- Abdominal ultrasound.
What treatment will be given depends on the cause of oliguria. The patient may be given an intravenous drip to restore hydration or may be on dialysis until the kidneys can function properly.
Oliguria – prevention
Oliguria cannot be prevented if it is caused by another medical condition. However, we can avoid, for example, dehydration, which causes this ailment, by constantly consuming the right amount of fluids, especially in feverish states or diarrhea. You can also take prophylactic drinks to replace lost electrolytes.
In the treatment and prevention of oliguria, it is worth drinking herbal infusions with diuretic and anti-inflammatory effects. Order Prostata today – a mixture of herbs available at a promotional price on Medonet Market.