Symptoms of hydronephrosis

Written by Li Liu Sheng
Nephrology
Updated on May 25, 2025
00:00
00:00

Hydronephrosis itself may not have any symptoms, but when hydronephrosis significantly increases, patients can feel soreness and discomfort in the lumbar region or upper abdomen. If the hydronephrosis is caused by urinary tract stones blocking the passage, patients often experience kidney pain and visible blood in the urine; if it is caused by congenital narrowing, it is prone to be complicated by urinary tract infections, with symptoms such as chills, fever, back pain, frequent urination, urgency, and painful urination. Sometimes, hydronephrosis occurs intermittently, with the patient experiencing abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and reduced urine output during an episode. The pain disappears after a few hours, followed by the excretion of a large amount of urine. This condition is often seen in ureteral obstruction. Of course, prolonged hydronephrosis can lead to renal failure, causing symptoms such as fatigue, poor spirit, anemia, and even swelling.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Chen Feng
Urology
1min 2sec home-news-image

Is hydronephrosis prone to recurrence?

Whether hydronephrosis is prone to recurrence depends on the cause of the hydronephrosis. Common causes of hydronephrosis in clinical practice are as follows: First, urinary tract stones. When a stone is lodged in the ureter or urethra, it can cause urinary obstruction. The urine produced by the kidneys cannot be expelled in time, leading to hydronephrosis. If the stones in the urinary system can be completely removed, it generally does not recur easily. However, if there are still quite a few stones in the kidney or bladder after clearing the urinary tract, it is more likely to recur, because the stones might move down, get lodged in the ureter or urethra again, and cause hydronephrosis. Second, prostate enlargement. Hydronephrosis caused by prostate enlargement is generally more likely to recur because the prostate continues to grow in size. Even if the enlarged prostate is surgically removed, it still might lead to urethral stricture, thereby causing hydronephrosis again.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
50sec home-news-image

Can you have sex with hydronephrosis?

Before the complete resolution of hydronephrosis, it is recommended that patients avoid sexual intercourse. This is because hydronephrosis indicates the presence of obstructive factors in the urinary system, causing urine to not be excreted smoothly. Urine accumulates within the urinary system, causing dilation of the renal pelvis, calyces, and ureter. If urine cannot be excreted, bacteria can easily ascend from the urethral opening into the urinary system, causing an inflammatory response. If patients engage in sexual intercourse during this time, bacteria at the urethral opening can easily be pressed into the bladder, ascending and potentially causing pyelonephritis or cystitis. Therefore, it is best for such patients to avoid sexual intercourse until the hydronephrosis has been thoroughly addressed.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Yuan Wei
Urology
56sec home-news-image

Is hydronephrosis of the second degree severe?

Hydronephrosis grade two, this "grade two" is likely a classification used in ultrasound or CT imaging. For hydronephrosis, the presence of condition itself indicates that the pathology has already affected kidney function. The most common causes include ureteral obstruction, or obstruction at the renal pelvis exit, typically due to stones or tumors, or narrowing caused by plastic tubes. Once hydronephrosis occurs, these conditions have already altered kidney function, necessitating further diagnosis to identify the cause, with surgery possibly being required. The most common objective assessment is a CT scan of the urinary system, with enhanced CT being the most accurate for understanding the severity of the hydronephrosis. Also, it helps identify the location of the ureteral obstruction, and thirdly, it can help ascertain the cause and provide treatment.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
58sec home-news-image

Is hydronephrosis with hematuria serious?

Whether hematuria in patients with hydronephrosis is serious cannot actually be determined by the amount of blood in the urine. It is important to identify the cause and assess kidney function, because hydronephrosis can lead to serious consequences, mainly kidney failure. If the hydronephrosis persists for a long time, it can compress the renal cortex and cause kidney shrinkage, leading to chronic kidney failure. The dangers of hematuria mainly include: first, it may cause significant bleeding, leading to anemia. Second, this type of hematuria could be caused by certain conditions, such as bleeding caused by a tumor in the urinary system, which is quite serious. Whereas bleeding caused by urinary tract infections or urinary system stones, in terms of the nature of the cause, is not considered very serious. However, significant bleeding can also lead to severe anemia and even shock, which would be more serious.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Liu Sheng
Nephrology
1min 6sec home-news-image

Symptoms of hydronephrosis

Hydronephrosis itself may not have any symptoms, but when hydronephrosis significantly increases, patients can feel soreness and discomfort in the lumbar region or upper abdomen. If the hydronephrosis is caused by urinary tract stones blocking the passage, patients often experience kidney pain and visible blood in the urine; if it is caused by congenital narrowing, it is prone to be complicated by urinary tract infections, with symptoms such as chills, fever, back pain, frequent urination, urgency, and painful urination. Sometimes, hydronephrosis occurs intermittently, with the patient experiencing abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and reduced urine output during an episode. The pain disappears after a few hours, followed by the excretion of a large amount of urine. This condition is often seen in ureteral obstruction. Of course, prolonged hydronephrosis can lead to renal failure, causing symptoms such as fatigue, poor spirit, anemia, and even swelling.