It can affect people of any old age and is sometimes spotted in unborn babies during act pregnancy sonography scans. This is known as prenatal hydronephrosis .
hydronephrosis does not by and large cause any long-run problems if it ‘s diagnosed and treated promptly .
Babies with the condition may not require any treatment at all.
But the condition can increase your chances of getting urinary tract infections ( UTIs ) .
In severe cases that are left untreated, the kidneys may become scarred, which could lead to loss of kidney serve ( kidney failure ) .
Hydronephrosis in babies
hydronephrosis is increasingly being found in unborn babies during everyday ultrasound scans .
This is known as prenatal hydronephrosis. It ‘s estimated to occur in at least 1 in every 100 pregnancies .
As a parent, it can be worrying to learn your pamper has a trouble with their kidneys .
But most cases of hydronephrosis in babies are not serious and should not affect the result of your pregnancy .
approximately 4 out of every 5 cases will resolve on their own ahead or within a few months of parentage and will cause no long-run problems for you or your baby .
The remaining cases may require treatment with antibiotics to prevent kidney infections, and in some cases surgery may be needed .
Read more about diagnosing prenatal hydronephrosis and treating prenatal hydronephrosis .
Signs and symptoms
hydronephrosis does not always cause symptoms. If it does, these may develop quickly over a few hours or gradually over weeks or months .
Symptoms can include :
- pain in your back or side – this may be sudden and severe, or may be a dull ache that comes and goes over time; it may get worse after you have drunk a lot of fluid
- symptoms of a UTI, such as needing to pee more often, pain or a burning sensation while peeing, and feeling tired and unwell
- blood in your urine
- urinating less often than you used to or with a weak stream
You should see your GP if you develop severe or dogged pain in your back or side, have symptoms of a UTI, or poster a change in how much you urinate .
They may refer you for an sonography scan to assess your kidneys.
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hydronephrosis in babies does not normally cause symptoms, but you should seek checkup advice american samoa soon as potential if your child develops signs of a potential UTI, such as a high fever without any other obvious causal agent .
Read more about diagnosing hydronephrosis .
What causes hydronephrosis?
hydronephrosis diagnosed in pregnancy is normally mild. It’s thought to be caused by an increase in the sum of urine your child produces in the late stages of pregnancy .
In more dangerous cases, it may be caused by a obstruction in the hang of urine from the kidneys to the bladder, backflow of urine from the bladder to the kidneys, or a blockage in the flow of urine out of the bladder .
In adults, hydronephrosis is normally caused by :
- kidney stones
- an enlarged prostate gland in men
- narrowing of the ureters (the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder) caused by injury, infection or surgery
- some types of cancer, including kidney cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer or ovarian cancer
Read more about the causes of hydronephrosis .
If you have hydronephrosis, your treatment will depend on what ‘s causing the condition and how austere it is .
meaning women and babies with the condition may not require any treatment .
In adults, the beginning stagecoach of discussion is frequently to drain the urine out of your kidneys by inserting a tube called a catheter into your bladder or kidneys .
This will help relieve the atmospheric pressure on your kidneys .
once the pressure has been relieved, the causal agent of the build-up of urine may need to be treated .
The treatments used will depend on why the condition developed.
For case :
- kidney stones may be removed during an operation or broken up using sound waves
- an enlarged prostate can be treated with medication or surgery to remove some of the prostate
- blockages in the ureters can be treated using surgery to insert a small tube called a stent
- cancer may be treated using a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery to remove the cancerous tissue
Read more about how hydronephrosis is treated .
page concluding reviewed : 11 July 2018
Next inspection due : 11 July 2021