Dehydration can sometimes cause hydronephrosis although the most common cause of hydronephrosis is a blockage in the urinary tract or something disrupting the normal workings of the urinary tract.
Hydronephrosis can make you tired as fatigue is one of the symptoms and side effects of hydronephrosis along with painful and frequent urination, blood in your urine and intense and sudden pain in your side.
In some cases and more severe cases hydronephrosis if left untreated can lead to death and severe kidney damage or complete kidney failure.
In severe cases if hydronephrosis is left untreated and it gets too severe the hydronephrosis can cause the kidney to rupture.
Hydronephrosis is the swelling of a kidney due to a build-up of urine.
It happens when urine cannot drain out from the kidney to the bladder from a blockage or obstruction.
Hydronephrosis can occur in one or both kidneys.
The main function of the urinary tract is to remove wastes and fluid from the body.
In some cases hydronephrosis can be treated at home and can even go away without treatment.
In more severe cases of hydronephrosis surgery and medical treatment may be needed.
Hydronephrosis is usually treated by addressing the underlying disease or cause, such as a kidney stone or infection.
Some cases can be resolved without surgery.
Infections can be treated with antibiotics.
A kidney stone can pass through by itself or might be severe enough to require removal with surgery.
Hydronephrosis is diagnosed through an ultrasound as well as blood and urine tests.
Hydronephrosis does sometimes cause weight gain which can be unexplained weight gain.
Left untreated, severe hydronephrosis can lead to permanent kidney damage.
Rarely, it can cause kidney failure.
But hydronephrosis typically affects only one kidney and the other kidney can do the work for both.
Hydronephrosis does go away eventually and usually resolves within 8 weeks.
In most cases it takes around 8 weeks or 2 months for hydronephrosis to resolve.
Full recovery from hydronephrosis takes up to 8 weeks.
Severe cases of urinary blockage and hydronephrosis can damage the kidneys and lead to kidney failure.
If kidney failure occurs, treatment will be needed with either dialysis or a kidney transplant.
However, most people can recover from hydronephrosis if treated promptly.
The complications of hydronephrosis include kidney disease and severe kidney damage if left untreated which can then lead to kidney failure.
Hydronephrosis may or may not cause symptoms.
The main symptom is pain, either in the side and back (known as flank pain), abdomen or groin.
Other symptoms can include pain during urination, other problems with urination (increased urge or frequency, incomplete urination, incontinence), nausea and fever.
Hydronephrosis on an ultrasound will look like branching, interconnected areas of decreased echogenicity (anechoic or black in general, indicating the presence of fluid) in the renal collecting system.
The hydronephrosis condition is most often diagnosed through an ultrasound as well as blood tests.
Tests for diagnosing hydronephrosis may include: A blood test to evaluate kidney function.
A urine test to check for signs of infection or urinary stones that could cause a blockage.
Hydronephrosis is swelling of one or both kidneys.
Kidney swelling happens when urine can't drain from a kidney and builds up in the kidney as a result.
This can occur from a blockage in the tubes that drain urine from the kidneys (ureters) or from an anatomical defect that doesn't allow urine to drain properly.
Hydronephrosis is usually caused by a blockage in the urinary tract or something disrupting the normal workings of the urinary tract.
The urinary tract is made up of the kidneys, the bladder, the ureters (the tubes that run from the kidney to the bladder) and the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body).
The main symptom of hydronephrosis is pain, either in the side and back (known as flank pain), abdomen or groin.
Other symptoms of hydronephrosis can include pain during urination, other problems with urination (increased urge or frequency, incomplete urination, incontinence), nausea and fever.
The condition resolves as the urinary tract matures.
About half of fetuses diagnosed with hydronephrosis have transient hydronephrosis, and the condition goes away before the infant is born.
Left untreated, severe hydronephrosis can lead to permanent kidney damage.
Rarely, it can cause kidney failure.
But hydronephrosis typically affects only one kidney and the other kidney can do the work for both.
Those who are at risk for hydronephrosis include men over the age of 50, due to enlargement of the prostate or prostate cancer. sexually active women, due to their risk for recurrent urinary tract infections and people who are predisposed to recurrent kidney stones.
If the hydronephrosis is acute or sudden, a stent or soft tube (nephrostomy tube) may be inserted through the skin into the kidney to drain off excess urine.
A soft plastic tube called a ureteral stent may be placed between the kidney and bladder by a urologist during a cystoscopy to drain excess fluids.
The key to treatment is to get it addressed as soon as possible in order to avoid any permanent damage to the kidneys.
Severe cases of urinary blockage and hydronephrosis can damage the kidneys and lead to kidney failure.
If kidney failure occurs, treatment will be needed with either dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Hydronephrosis can vary in severity.
Typically, your doctor will describe your child's hydronephrosis as mild, moderate or severe.
Sometimes hydronephrosis is given a grade of 1, 2, 3 or 4, with 1 representing very minimal dilation and 4 representing severe dilation.
Indirect causes of hydronephrosis such as urine reflux or an abnormally positioned ureter may require surgery if the problem persists over time and causes the kidney swelling to worsen or cause symptoms.
Each case of hydronephrosis is unique and a decision to do surgery is not taken lightly.