Hypospadias treatment cost in Dubai
Some babies are born with problems in their urination site that may have devastating consequences later on in life.
One of these problems is hypospadias.A condition where the urethral opening is not located at the tip of the penis. It can be diagnosed as soon as the child is born as the opening can be obviously misplaced.
It’s become easier to fix this problem with the ongoing medical innovation and if there is affordable hypospadias treatment cost.
So what is hypospadias? its causes? and how much does hypospadias treatment cost ?
What is hypospadias?
Hypospadias is a medical condition in which there’s a defect in the opening site of the external meatus (the outer opening) of the urethra. It is more common in baby boys than females.
In males, it’s presented as shifting the site of the external meatus from the tip of the penis head to any other site along the penis, or in the scrotum or the perineum.
In females, it’s a very rare urological condition in which the urethra’s external meatus opens in the vagina and thus increases the incidence of infection.
What causes hypospadias?
The exact specific causes of hypospadias are still unknown, but mostly there are many factors noted to influence its predisposition. They include:
1- Gene related factors
According to many family histories that have been collected and reported:
- 8% of males who have hypospadias have fathers with the condition.
- 14% of males who have hypospadias have brothers with the same condition.
2- Hormonal factors
During the 8 – 20 weeks of pregnancy, the urogenital tract develops and this development is regulated by certain hormones like sex hormones e.g. androgens and progesterone.
Any defect in the secretion of these hormones or inability to respond to them affects the development of the urogenital tract.
A study has shown that boys born through in vitro fertilization are more at risk of developing hypospadias than normally born boys. And this is thought to be due to the amount of progesterone administered to the mother then.
3- Risk factors
Some factors contribute to the risk of developing hypospadias, especially in genetically predisposed babies. They include:
- Obese women who are above 35 years old may present a higher risk factor of delivering boys with hypospadias.
- Exposure to pesticides or any radiation during pregnancy.
- Taking fertility treatment may affect the hormones regulating the urogenital tract development.
- Taking certain hormones during or before pregnancy affects the production of sex hormones that are necessary for urogenital tract development.
Regarding females, the commonest cause noted is urethral injury. And some risk factor that has been noted are female genital mutilation (FGM) and recurrent lower urinary tract infection.
Hypospadias types:
The most common classification of hypospadias types is done according to the new abnormal site of the outer opening of the urethra which can be:
either at the junction between the head of the penis and its shaft (subcoronal) or at an abnormal location on the head of the penis (glanular).
anywhere along the shaft of the penis either distal (close to the head) or midshaft or proximal (near the scrotum).
either on the scrotum (scrotal) or the perineum (perineal).
In nearly 50 percent of cases, the location is anterior, 20 percent are middle and the rest are posterior.
Male hypospadias symptoms:
The symptoms and signs of hypospadias vary according to its type. Mostly they are detected at birth. They include:
- Abnormal site of the outer opening of the urethra.
- Abnormal development of the foreskin either being: incomplete and retracted or complete and covers the hypospadias.
- Penile curvature which leads to problems fulfilling a healthy sexual life.
- Urination isn’t straight but done in deviated directions according to the new site of the urethra’s outer opening which leads to boys having to sit down during urination and recurrent lower urinary tract infection.
- 8 – 100 boys with hypospadias have undescended testes ( testes aren’t in their normal place in the scrotum).
Female hypospadias symptoms:
Although female hypospadias is a rare condition, its diagnosis is simple through some signs and symptoms which include:
- Abnormal site of the outer opening of the urethra into the anterior vaginal wall.
- Recurrent lower urinary tract infection.
- Urethral stricture leading to urine retention.
- Vaginal voiding: As urine gets into the vagina. It works as an irritant to the vaginal wall causing inflammation and itching.
- post coital cystitis: women with hypospadias are more liable for recurrent cystitis (bladder inflammation) after having sex.
Hypospadias Diagnosis:
Usually, diagnosed during a physical examination after the baby is born or may later some parents notice signs such as:
- Abnormal spraying of urine.
- Hooded appearance of the penis.
- Unconventional things about the shape or function of the penis.
Which could be alarming signs to visit to a pediatrician or pediatric urologist.
Complications of Hypospadias:
If severe cases of hypospadias are not treated, it can result in:
- Abnormal appearance of the penis.
- Difficulty in using the toilet as the urine stream may be hard to direct and control.
- Abnormal curvature of the penis with erection.
- Problems with impaired ejaculation leading to sexual dysfunction.
- If the urethral opening is near or behind the scrotum, he may have fertility problems later in life.
Hypospadias treatment cost:
The treatment is mainly surgical and sometimes is done in stages. it aims to normalize all the present abnormalities like:
- adjusting the site of the outer opening of the urethra back to normal.
- correcting penile curvature if present.
- foreskin reconstruction.
- Trying to get an acceptable cosmetic outcome.
Hypospadias repair is a challenging situation although it is associated with a high success rate of 95%. An expert Urologist will take under one hour for surgery.
No need to worry, Hypospadias surgery cost is affordable and varies depending on the doctor performing it and where it’s done.