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Oliguria, also known as oliguria, is a condition in which the daily amount of urine output drops to about 500 ml. This is the main symptom of oliguria that is noted in adults. In children, oliguria is found when the amount of urine output per hour drops below 0,5 ml per kilogram of body weight, in infants this value is twice as high and amounts to 1 ml / kg / h. However, if the decrease in daily urine output is reduced to below 100 ml per day, this condition is described as anuria, i.e. anuria. What are the causes of oliguria? How to treat this condition?
Oliguria – symptoms
Oliguria is not classified as a disease entity, and is the main or one of the symptoms of some ailments. As mentioned in the introduction, oliguria is measured by the amount of urine you pass (in ml) per day. It is assumed that when the diuresis drops below 500 ml per day, this condition is referred to as oliguria. However, this amount represents the average urine volume for an adult of approximately 70 kg body weight, therefore the value is unstable and depends on various factors. In larger children, oliguria is also determined by the amount of urine passed, but diuresis is then estimated by the amount of urine released per hour per kilogram of the child’s body weight. If the value is 0,5 ml or less, then this is referred to as oliguria. In infants, the limiting value is the volume of 1 ml. In addition to the described main symptom of oliguria, other symptoms may also occur, such as: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, general weakness, as well as eating disorders and bloody urine.
Oliguria – causes
There are many reasons for the development of oliguria, in fact, oliguria can result from a number of ailments and diseases, and oliguria can be only one of the symptoms. In addition, oliguria is divided into three types: prerenal, renal, and also non-renal. When it comes to prerenal oliguria, there may be several causes, e.g. cardiogenic shock, septic shock, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, haemorrhage, burns, heart failure.
In turn, renal oliguria can be caused by ailments related mainly to kidney diseases, e.g. acute or chronic renal failure, hydronephrosis, uremia, or glomerulonephritis or interstitial nephritis. Then there is also the so-called accompanying symptoms such as swelling around ankles, feet, wrists, bruises and swelling under the eyes, haematuria and difficulty urinating with pain. The causes of renal oliguria also include: arterial hypertension, sarcoidosis, as well as taking certain medications, e.g. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that lower blood pressure, contrast agents.
Slightly different causes are found in extrarenal oliguria. It is associated with dysfunction of normal urine excretion. These are: prostatic hypertrophy (complete urinary retention may occur), neurogenic bladder, nephrolithiasis (which may be accompanied by severe pain, fever, strong pressure on the bladder), prostate cancer, postoperative adhesions, other neoplastic tumors or a parasitic disease.
Oliguria – treatment
Treatment of oliguria is usually causal, as too little urine output is a symptom of certain diseases. Sometimes the cause is trivial and results from dehydration (diarrhea, vomiting), then you should give the right amount of fluids and electrolytes that will help regulate the body’s water and electrolyte balance. However, if the causes are more serious, you should see a doctor who, after a detailed medical interview, will determine the treatment plan. A specialist will certainly want to obtain information about coexisting ailments, medications or genetic diseases. He may also order a urine test to detect possible mechanical damage to the kidneys (then proteins and / or red blood cells will be present in the urine), bacterial infection and others. In addition, if the cause of oliguria is found, an ultrasound examination is performed within the abdominal cavity or around the kidneys. It is also possible to conduct computed tomography, as well as morphological studies, renal clearance, acute phase protein (CRP). Untreated oliguria can lead to drastic changes in the water and electrolyte balance, which can damage the cardiovascular system, cause too high blood pressure and lead to gastro-intestinal disturbances.
Oliguria – prognosis
As for the prognosis, in the case of oliguria it is highly dependent on the cause of its symptoms. If the oliguria is due to dehydration, the prognosis is very favorable as it is quite easily treated. However, if oliguria is caused by, for example, prostate cancer, then the prognosis is quite different.
Oliguria – prevention
It should be remembered that oliguria is one of the symptoms of diseases and ailments or is the result of taking certain medications, so it is difficult to talk about prevention in this case.