Symptoms of hydronephrosis

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

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Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
56sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of hydronephrosis?

Patients with hydronephrosis may not exhibit any symptoms. Whether symptoms are present depends on factors such as the extent of renal damage caused by hydronephrosis, the severity of the hydronephrosis, and the duration of hydronephrosis. Some patients might only notice the issue due to a lump in the abdomen or a swelling sensation in the lower back, prompting them to undergo ultrasound imaging that reveals hydronephrosis. Hydronephrosis can cause renal colic, and patients may also experience nausea, vomiting, and reduced urine output. When hydronephrosis is complicated by infection, symptoms like chills, shivering, fever, and headache can occur. Some patients may first present clinically with a urinary tract infection, showing symptoms like fever, frequent urination, urgent urination, and painful urination. In rare cases, hydronephrosis can rupture and lead to bleeding.

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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.

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Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
55sec home-news-image

What should I do if I have hydronephrosis and atrophy?

Hydronephrosis leading to kidney shrinkage indicates that the condition has persisted for a long time. Long-term hydronephrosis places significant pressure on the kidneys, which in turn compresses the kidney tissues causing tissue shrinkage. The destruction and shrinkage of tissues result in the kidneys' inability to function properly, leading to azotemia. Patients will experience chronic kidney failure, a situation that is difficult to reverse. Even if surgery is performed to relieve the obstruction and allow urine to be excreted, the damaged kidney tissue cannot regenerate. Therefore, it is still necessary to relieve the obstruction as soon as possible to avoid further damage to the remaining kidney tissue. For patients who have progressed to uremia, it may be necessary to consider hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, or undertake a kidney transplant to sustain life.

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Written by Zhou Qi
Nephrology
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Will people with hydronephrosis have edema?

Hydronephrosis can potentially cause patients to exhibit symptoms of edema. Urine is produced by the kidneys and is expelled from the body through the urinary system, including the ureters and bladder. If there is an obstructive issue in the urinary system, the urine produced by the kidneys cannot be excreted smoothly, leading to hydronephrosis. When a large amount of fluid cannot be excreted, it eventually causes edema in the body. However, if the patient has hydronephrosis on only one side and the other kidney is healthy, the healthy kidney can fully compensate for the entire kidney function and sufficiently excrete fluids. Therefore, patients with unilateral hydronephrosis often do not show obvious signs of edema. But if a patient has bilateral hydronephrosis, and urine produced by both kidneys cannot be excreted, the patient will exhibit signs of edema.

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Written by Li Yuan Wei
Urology
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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.