Kidney & Urinary Health

Kidney function, kidney stones, urinary tract infections and bladder problems.

Written by HealthDiseases Research Team

Educational hub

This topic is being developed. Articles on kidney & urinary health are added in stages, each passing editorial and fact-check review before publication. In the meantime, browse related hubs from the conditions index.

Conditions

Enlarged prostate (BPH) BPH is not cancer and not dangerous in itself. It is the most common reason men over 50 get up at night to urinate — and it is very treatable.
Prostatitis Prostatitis is the prostate problem that affects younger men too. Most cases are not infections, which is why antibiotics so often fail to help.
Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes develops when the body stops responding to insulin properly and the pancreas can no longer compensate. It is common, often silent at first, and largely manageable once found.

Symptoms

Frequent urination at night (nocturia) Getting up once a night is common and usually harmless. Twice or more is worth investigating, because the cause is as often in the kidneys, heart or sleep as in the bladder.
Weak urine stream A stream that has grown weak, slow or hesitant is one of the most common urinary complaints in men over 50, and one of the most under-reported. It nearly always has a treatable cause.

Health guides

How high blood sugar affects the body Glucose is fuel, but at high concentrations for long periods it is also corrosive. This guide follows the damage from the blood vessels outward, organ by organ.