March is National Kidney Month, and that means it’s time to pay these unsung organs a little extra attention. As important parts of your urinary system, your kidneys filter as many as 200 liters of blood each and every day. Keeping them healthy is critical to ensuring your overall health is maintained.
Incontinence is a common cause of kidney infection, so being treated for incontinence issues – even minor leakage – is important. Several techniques can be used to diagnose incontinence so you can get the most effective treatment:
- Cytoscopy uses a thin tube with a tiny camera to look for abnormalities inside your urinary tract.
- Cystogram injects dye into your bladder so an x-ray can be taken to provide images of the structure of your bladder and urethra.
- Urodynamics uses a catheter to fill your bladder with water while a special monitor measures the pressure inside your bladder to determine the strength of both your bladder and your sphincter, the tiny opening where urine is expelled.
- Bladder stress tests measure the amount of urine leakage that occurs when you cough strenuously.
- Ultrasound is used to evaluate the health of your urinary health and to look for abnormalities.
- Urinalysis uses a sample of urine to check for bacteria, blood proteins or other abnormalities that could contribute to incontinence.
- Post-void measurement uses a special instrument to determine how much urine remains in your bladder after you urinate.
- Bladder diaries are also often used so patients can record their urination habits, as well as leakage incidents and how much and what they drink each day.
Your kidneys play a major role in keeping you healthy. Bladder incontinence is associated with an increased risk of urinary tract infections including kidney infections, which can become very, very serious. If you’re dealing with any type of incontinence, you owe it to yourself and your health to be evaluated at the Incontinence Institute. Give us a call today at 1-800-771-1953 to schedule your consultation with Dr. Barry Jarnagin or Dr. Melissa Kaufman.