Urinary Retention in Adults Male Patients: Causes and Complications among Patients Managed in a Teaching Hospital in North Western Nigeria

Sani Usman Alhassan,Bashir Yunusa,Sani Ali Aji,Muzzammil Abdullahi,Sharfuddeen Abbas Mashi

doi:10.4236/oju.2016.67020

Abstract

Background: Urinary retention is one of the common urologic emergencies constituting a significant workload of urologists and non-urologists alike. Aims and Objectives: This study was undertaken to identify the causes and complications associated with urinary retention in adult male patients at AKTH, Kano. Patients and Methods: It was a prospective hospital-based study of 110 consecutive adult male patients who presented to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano with urinary retention over 12 months. On presentation, a brief history was taken and rapid physical examination done; the urinary retention was relieved by urethral catheterization or suprapubic cystostomy. A detailed history and thorough physical examination findings were later obtained. Results: One hundred and ten patients were seen during the study period. There ages ranged from 17 to100 years with a mean of 56 ± 19.3 SD years. Patients within the age range 55 - 74 years accounted for the largest group, (25.5% + 23.6% = 49.1%). The most common cause of urinary retention in this study was benign prostatic hyperplasia (51.8% of the patients). This was followed by urethral stricture (20%), cancer of the prostate (7.3%), urethral injury (7.3%) and bladder tumour (6.4%). More than half of the patients (53.4%) presented with acute urinary retention, 30.5% presented with chronic urinary retention, and 16.1% were diagnosed to have acute-on-chronic urinary retention. The complications of urinary retention found were: urinary tract infection (in 24.5% of patients), renal impairment (14.5%), and anaemia (11.8%). Conclusion: Urinary retention is commoner among the middle aged and the elderly. Benign prostatic hyperplasia remains the leading cause of urinary retention. Acute urinary retention was the commonest type of urinary retention; however, complications due to the retention were associated with chronic and acute-on-chronic urinary retention.

Highlights

Urinary retention (UR) is defined as inability to empty the bladder despite being distended with urine [1]
Urinary retention was found to be more common in the age range 55 - 74
Following the initial management of the patients, causes of UR found are shown in Table 1 below

Summary

Introduction

Urinary retention (UR) is defined as inability to empty the bladder despite being distended with urine [1]. In the acute form there is a sudden inability to pass urine despite an urge to micturate This is usually associated with suprapubic pain. The most common cause of urinary retention in this study was benign prostatic hyperplasia (51.8% of the patients). This was followed by urethral stricture (20%), cancer of the prostate (7.3%), urethral injury (7.3%) and bladder tumour (6.4%). Acute urinary retention was the commonest type of urinary retention; complications due to the retention were associated with chronic and acute-on-chronic urinary retention

Results

Discussion

Conclusion