Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Reduced 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:
- When did the problem with the reduced urine start?
Why: Establishing the length of time that there has been reduced urine will help determine the level of risk.
- Is there a complete lack of urine being passed?
Why: Complete anuria (lack of urine) is strongly suggestive of complete obstruction of both ureters or complete obstruction of a single kidney. It is a medical emergency. See lack_of_urine.
- What has been your recent intake of fluid?
Why: dehydration is a frequent cause of reduced urine.
- Risk factors for dehydration?
Why: e.g. fever, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive exercise, hot humid conditions, excessive sweating, bleeding, extensive burns, , diuretic use, uncontrolled or undiagnosed diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, sickle cell disease.
- Past medical history?
Why: e.g. gout increases the risk of urinary tract stones.
- Medications?
Why: some medications may cause renal failure and consequent reduced or 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.
Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse
your condition. These may include:
- Loin pain?
Why: associated with reduced urine suggests upper urinary tract obstruction. It can be dull or sharp, constant or intermittent.
- Chest pain?
Why: associated with reduced urine may suggest heart attack, lung infarction or dissecting aneurysm.
- Abdominal pain?
Why: may suggest dissecting aneurysm.
- Blood in the urine (Hematuria) prior to an episode of reduced or lack of urine?
Why: would suggest glomerulonephritis, acute tubular necrosis, intravascular hemolysis and kidney stones.
- Fever?
Why: Fever associated with reduced urine may suggest a urinary tract infection that is complicating a urinary tract obstruction; or an infection causing septic shock and reduced urine output. Note also that fever, itself from any cause may cause dehydration and reduced urine.
- Symptoms of ureteric kidney stones (stones in the ureter)?
Why: e.g. pain in the loin radiating to the groin, pallor, sweating, vomiting, restlessness. If there is complete obstruction of both ureters, this may cause complete lack of urine.
- Symptoms of benign enlargement of the prostate gland?
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 of the urine stream, post-void dribbling of urine. Acute retention of urine presents with pain over the bladder.
- Symptoms of prostate cancer?
Why: e.g. as for benign prostatic enlargement of the prostate; may also have features of metastatic spread of cancer such as bone pain.
- Symptoms of acute renal failure?
Why: e.g. reduced urine output, vomiting, confusion, bruising.
- Symptoms of chronic renal failure?
Why: The early stages of renal failure are often completely without symptoms. Later symptoms may include tiredness, loss of appetite, insomnia, frequency of urination, itch, nausea, vomiting, restless legs. In more terminal cases of chronic renal failure, urine output is reduced.
- Symptoms of severe heart failure?
Why: e.g. progressive shortness of breath on exertion, bilateral ankle swelling that is usually symmetrical and worse in the evenings, with improvement during the night. As the heart failure progresses urine output reduces and swelling ascends to involve the legs, thighs, genitalia and abdomen.
- Symptoms of shock?
Why: e.g. cold pale blue skin, confusion, sweating, rapid pulse, reduced urine output.
» Next page: Types of Reduced urine
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