Urethritis: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Urethritis means ‘inflammation of the urethra’, and it can have a few causes, including infection and irritation.¹

Symptoms of urethritis

Urethritis tends to show up as burning or stinging upon urination, blood in the urine, frequent urination and urgency to urinate, but often not much urine comes out.²

The urethra feels irritated, either mildly or severely.³ If there is blood in your urine, you have a fever, or are in severe pain, you may have a severe infection and should seek medical attention.

Some underlying causes of urethritis⁴

Urinary tract infection
Urethral syndrome (inflammation without infection usually caused by an external factor like soap, toilet paper or laundry detergent)
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Gonorrhoea
Chlamydia
Mycoplasma genitalium
Urethral cancer
Urethral prolapse
Urethral caruncles
Urethral diverticula

If you have urinary symptoms, you need to be tested for infection, since this is the most common cause of urethritis.⁵

References

1.
Ulmer WD, Gilbert JL, De EJB. Urethritis in Women—Considerations Beyond Urinary Tract Infection. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep. Published online July 15, 2014:181-187. doi:10.1007/s11884-014-0246-7
2.
Bartoletti R, Wagenlehner FME, Bjerklund Johansen TE, et al. Management of Urethritis: Is It Still the Time for Empirical Antibiotic Treatments? European Urology Focus. Published online January 2019:29-35. doi:10.1016/j.euf.2018.10.006
3.
Moi H, Blee K, Horner PJ. Management of non-gonococcal urethritis. BMC Infect Dis. Published online July 29, 2015. doi:10.1186/s12879-015-1043-4
4.
Harrer K, Knoll T. Urethritis. Urology at a Glance. Published online 2014:291-293. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-54859-8_55
5.
Hakenberg OW, Harke N, Wagenlehner F. Urethritis in Men and Women. European Urology Supplements. Published online April 2017:144-148. doi:10.1016/j.eursup.2017.01.002