Dr. Huntley's
Diagnosis
Checklist
Have a symptom?
See what questions
a doctor would ask.
See what questions
a doctor would ask.
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Lack of urine. These may include a physical examination or other medical tests. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
Why: Inability to urinate or a total lack of urine is a medical emergency. Establishing the length of time of the lack of urine will help determine level of risk. Lack of urine suggest urinary tract obstruction until proved otherwise.
Why: Complete anuria (lack of urine) is strongly suggestive of complete obstruction of both ureters or complete obstruction of a single kidney.
Why: dehydration is a frequent cause of lack of urine.
Why: e.g. gout increases the risk of urinary tract stones.
Why: some medications may cause renal failure and consequent lack of urine including sulfonamides, amphotericin B, gold compounds and lead; prolonged exposure to methysergide increases the risk of retroperitoneal fibrosis ( a condition where the ureters become embedded in dense fibrous tissue with resultant unilateral or bilateral obstruction); some medications may cause urinary retention including imipramine.
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. These may include:
Why: suggests upper urinary tract obstruction. It can be dull or sharp, constant or intermittent.
Why: may suggest heart attack, lung infarction or dissecting aneurysm.
Why: may suggest dissecting aneurysm.
Why: would suggest glomerulonephritis, acute tubular necrosis, intravascular hemolysis and kidney stones.
Why: may suggest infection is complicating the urinary tract obstruction or fever may represent an infection causing septic shock.
Why: e.g. pain in the loin radiating to the groin, pallor, sweating, vomiting, restlessness.
Why: e.g. prior to acute retention of urine (lack of urine flow) may experience frequency of urination, passing urine at night (nocturia), difficulty in initiating urination, reduced force fo the urine stream, post-void dribbling of urine. Acute retention of urine presents with pain over the bladder.
Why: e.g. as for benign prostatic enlargement of the prostate; may also have features of metastatic spread of cancer such as bone pain.
Why: e.g. cold pale blue skin, confusion, sweating, rapid pulse.
What do you think about the features of this website? Take our user survey and have your say:
Next articles:
Tools & Services:
Medical Articles:
Search Specialists by State and City
By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use. Information provided on this site is for informational purposes only; it is not intended as a substitute for advice from your own medical team. The information on this site is not to be used for diagnosing or treating any health concerns you may have - please contact your physician or health care professional for all your medical needs. Please see our Terms of Use.
Copyright © 2010 Health Grades Inc. All rights reserved. Last Update: 9 February, 2010 (2:24)
