Genitourinary System
Introduction
Most patients suffer from numerous genitourinary system illnesses. The genitourinary system is made up of the kidney, ureter, and other genital body parts. From fetus development to adulthood, the genitourinary system is exposed to various potential sources of injury. People might contact illnesses or conditions which destroy genitourinary organs. However, with age, numerous changes occur to the genitourinary systems. Regular aging impacts the upper and lower urinary region. Lower alterations comprise decreased bladder size and urethra acquiescence, increased detrusor contraction among others.
Genitourinary System Normal Aging Process
Aging causes variations in the kidney and bladder. The function of the kidney is filtering blood which in turn eradicates toxins from the human body. Also, the kidney assists to regulate the body's chemical equilibrium. The kidney makes up the urinary system. The urinary system is made up of the ureter, bladder, and urethra. Muscular alterations and variations within the reproductive organs have the potential of affecting bladder regulation. Aging is a primary factor because it impacts kidneys and bladders (Barth et al., 2020). At one age, the kidney and bladder are subject to modification. Hence, the functionality is compromised in the long run. Within the kidneys, tissue size decreases hence the filter spaces decrease. Filter systems are made up of nephrons that filter toxins from the body. Blood vessels connecting the kidneys gradually harden hence leading to kidneys function at a slower rate. In terms of bladder alterations, the changeable tissue wears out into a hardened and less flexible tissue. Therefore, the bladder’s retention capacity decreases due to the decreased elasticity. Also, the bladder loses its muscular tendencies. Also, the urethra decreases in size which leads to blockage. In females, weakened muscles cause vaginas and bladder to tear down while in men, the engorged prostate gland blocks the urethra. In normal aging, individual kidney functionality is not altered. However, diseases and other situations can negatively impact the kidney's role in the body.
Aging intensifies the kidney and bladder challenges. For instance, the bladder regulates matters such as seepage. Seepage is failing to retain urine in the bladder for a long time. Also if a person fails to fully empty the bladder, it is a challenge that can be traced to aging muscles of the urinary systems (Saran et al., 2017). Thus, the changes affect the functionality and muscle strength of the bladder and kidneys.
Some of the alterations that result from kidney aging are condensing within Bowman's capsule and decreased penetrability, degenerative alterations within the blood vessels, and reduced nephrons and blood vascular alterations at the vascular systems. Renal effectiveness can be dysfunctional whenever people age due to the reduced nephrons as one advance in age. Also, it is important to note that blood within the renal decreases as one reaches the advanced age of 75 years old. In terms of Glomerular percolation frequency, the excretory size decreases as one age. As the kidney ages, it can sustain regular homeostatic functions such as eradication of waste material from the body (Traish et al., 2018). However, these functions are done at a slower rate and with less efficiency than before due to the reduced number of reserves needed for filtration. Similarly, due to the reduced efficiency, reduced chances of dehydration, contamination, and damage of the kidney is one of the highlights that marks normal genitourinary system aging.
In the prostate region, atrophy is the first sign of normal aging of hyperplasia regions. Benign hyperplasia manifests in most men who attain 80 years of age. More so, histological matters are said to be more common due to the impact of aging mechanisms on genitourinary systems (Xiao et al., 2017). Kidneys’ function is the filtration of blood and also assists to eradicate wastes and additional liquid from the body. In terms of regulation, the kidneys ensure that a human body's chemical balance is at equilibrium. Hence, being one of the most outstanding and vital organs, the kidneys form part of the urinary system. Muscular alterations are part and parcel of the changes that are experienced due to normal aging of the genitourinary system (Özcan et al., 2018). Aging affects the regulation of the bladder hence it becomes hard to control urine flow. With aging comes alteration which then affects the functionality of the entire genitourinary system. Kidney tends to decrease in size due to the degeneration of its tissues. Also, nephrons are minimized hence the removal of toxins from the body reduces. Besides, time changes biological mechanisms within the genitourinary system. Aging is known to be gradual and systematic hence changes that come about aging are known and predictable. The process of aging heterogeneous hence organs age differently and at different rates due to underlying factors such as genetic material and lifestyle. First, the physiological structures and functions are complete changes due to her gradual and steady process of aging. Age affects temperature and even the hormone cortisol which is in plenty in the genitourinary system.
The specific differences in the gerontology population of the genitourinary system
People aged 65 years and above are increasing in number all over the world. Also, researchers revealed data that shows more people are diagnosed with genitourinary system failure due to advancement in age. Histological alterations within the kidney seem to be the main cause of this genitourinary system diagnosis. Contemporary researches have unveiled that as one age kidney experiences various structural alterations which in turn alter its functional behaviors. These changes weaken the kidney's capability to resist damage and reconstruct after an injury. Due to the reduced functionalities, most people are prone to diseases associated with the kidneys due to the putative manner in which pathways are destroyed ad hindered from performing basic functions (Woodhouse, 2019). Even though normal aging has no impact on homeostatic liquids, renal reserves among old individuals might reduce. Longitudinal modifications and urinary tract systems tend to be more strained with time hence old people are at a higher risk of acquiring illnesses related to the genitourinary system. Thus, it is well known that all over the world, the population is aging at a fast rate which in turn has increased the number of diseases that come with an aging genitourinary system. in the name of coming up with more than one way of assessing the number of people with severe genitourinary system illness, experts have concluded that sometimes aging is more damaging due to the lifestyles people live or adapt. Advancement in age leads to a decline in the number of nephrons hence tubular changes take place in the kidney as the membranous walls thicken thus increasing glomerulus sites. More than 10% of people aged 10 years and above might suffer from nephrosclerosis and hypertension due to the blockage that occurs as one advance in terms of age.
Genitourinary System Diseases
Most of the illnesses or conditions result from aging. One of the conditions that result from the gradual aging of the genitourinary system is urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is much more common in terms of regular occurrence due aging process which impedes its functionalities. Based on medical records, urinary incontinence is estimated to be 15-35% among the old generation. In the USA most of the people aged 60 years and above are susceptible to acquire urinary incontinence. The general occurrence rate of this condition increases with age amongst both males and females. Most of the contemporary surveys reveal that 21.8% of the people aged 85 and 90 years old suffer from this condition (Althumairi, & Efron, 2016). Urinary incontinence negatively affects the self-esteem of a person hence linked to the increasing number of depressed people. Therefore, incontinence impacts the social component of one's life as it minimizes the number of activities one can do at a go. Also, it forces one to depend on caregivers and guardians. Most of the people who have this condition are old people and they tend to stay at home so that they cannot be an embarrassment to the rest of society. There are various kinds of urinary incontinence but they all cause involuntary urine loss. Hence, urinary incontinence can be said to be chronic or acute depending on its severity.
Another genitourinary system that is common among the elderly is urinary tract contamination which is normally caused when a bacteria affects some parts of the genitourinary systems. Even though data reveals that the disease needs to be handled with antibiotics, there are chances that it might occur once again due to the bacteria causing it. Also, urinary tract infections can negatively impact any part of the genitourinary system such as the kidney and bladder. The majority of the infections attack the lower sections of the urinary region- bladder and urethra. Females are more prone to acquire this disease than their counterpart males are. The infection only spreads around the bladder (Zhou et al., 2020). Nevertheless, severe consequences could cause the disease to spread to kidney regions. Some of the symptoms connected to urinary tract infection is a persistent urge to urinate and inflammation whenever urinating. Among the elderly, this disease occurs due to the increasing number of bacteria responsible for causing the disease and other factors such as temperature. Currently, there is no research to account for the constituents making up the bacteria causing urinary tract infection. One of the main risk factors is aging due to the catheterization of the entire based system which in turn gives room to the growth of the bacteria.
Nursing Interventions
The nurses or medics usually come up with medical plans to prevent and even mitigate the challenges that come with suffering from genitourinary infections. For instance, urinary tract infection is normally caused by a bacterium found within the urinary system. One of the most common ways of coming to terms with the ancient ways of preventing this disease is to kill the bacterium responsible for the disease in advance (Özcan et al., 2018). Also, the bacterium can be caused whenever the patient immune system weakens hence allows the bacterium to grow in the body. Using antibiotics only means that this disease differs in severity. Due to the sensitivity of the illness, one has to take into account the level of spread and then act on it based on the intended rate of infection.
In urinary incontinence, there are behavioral interventions that can be put in place to prevent a person from developing the disease. A chance to come to terms with bladder training gives a person a chance to urinate normally. Bladder training is supposed to last for about ten minutes (Saran et al., 2017). Daily training of the bladder strengthens the muscular tissues and makes them stronger hence one can regulate his urine. Another tactic that can be used to regulate the bladder is through a mechanism known as double voiding where a person empties their bladder. Double voiding implies that one urinates two times in a row to ensure that the bladder is empty. Also, the genitourinary system has to be in line with the functionalities of other components. In the wake of coming to terms with more than one way of treating the condition, schedules toilet sprees so that a pattern can be developed and form a pattern of dealing with the issues around genitourinary systems.
In summary, the genitourinary system gradually weakens with time. Also, with time, it is exposed to infectious diseases and inflammations. Some of the alterations that come as a result of normal aging are caused due to muscular variations, tissue blockage, and loss of flexibility of blood vessels. For instance, within the kidney, the nephrons become less in number and decrease in size. The anatomy and structure of the genitourinary system decrease in functionality as the entire system is impeded with time. In most cases, people tend to acquire diseases such as urinary tract infection and urinary incontinence.
References
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Saran, R., Robinson, B., Abbott, K. C., Agodoa, L. Y., Albertus, P., Ayanian, J., ... & Shahinian, V. (2017). US renal data system 2016 annual data report: epidemiology of kidney disease in the United States. American journal of kidney diseases, 69(3), A7-A8.
Traish, A. M., Vignozzi, L., Simon, J. A., Goldstein, I., & Kim, N. N. (2018). Role of androgens in female genitourinary tissue structure and function: implications in the genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Sexual medicine reviews, 6(4), 558-571.
Xiao, X., Hu, R., Deng, F. M., Shen, S. S., Yang, X. J., & Wu, C. L. (2017). Practical applications of immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of genitourinary tumors. Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine, 141(9), 1181-1194.
Özcan, H. Ç., Balat, Ö., Uğur, M. G., Sucu, S., Tepe, N. B., & Kazaz, T. G. (2018). Use of bladder filling to prevent urinary system complications in the management of placenta percreta: a randomized prospective study. Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde, 78(2), 173.
Woodhouse, C. (2019). The effects of recreational drug use on the genitourinary tract. Trends in Urology & Men's Health, 10(4), 18-20.
Althumairi, A. A., & Efron, J. E. (2016). Genitourinary considerations in reoperative and complex colorectal surgery. Clinics in colon and rectal surgery, 29(2), 145.
Zhou, J., Yang, X., Zhou, L., Zhao, M., & Wang, C. (2020). Anastomosing Hemangioma Incidentally Found in Kidney or Adrenal Gland: Study of 10 Cases and Review of Literature. Urology Journal.
