[Urethral Syndrome and Urethral Pain: Do we Treat People or Diagnoses?]

The urethral syndrome with urethral pain and bladder voiding disorders is a diagnosis of exclusion. Possible aetiologies are diverse and include organic, functional and inflammatory pathologies of the urethra. Infections, inflammation of the paraurethral glands, spasms of the sphincter muscle and/or of the pelvic floor muscles, oestrogen deficiency, trauma, neuropathies, hypersensitivity and psychosomatic issues have been investigated as possible causes.Patients with urethral syndrome must be viewed, evaluated and treated holistically. They need a lot of time and attention during their evaluation and treatment. It is now well known that psychosocial aspects are involved in the development of many somatic conditions and may have a crucial impact on the course of a disease. This needs to be taken into consideration during the treatment process.