Pneumaturia
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Pneumaturia is the rare phenomenon of significant amounts of gas being passed in urine, often accompanied by audible sounds. It typically occurs in cases of cystitis, particularly in diabetic patients, where fermentation of urine in the bladder occurs due to fistulas or fermentable sugars.
Encyclopedia article (1928–1936)
PNEUMATURIA, the passage of significant amounts of gas with urine, a phenomenon observed comparatively rarely. Urination in this case occurs with a noise audible at a distance. P. usually arises in the presence of cystitis, in which conditions are created favorable for the fermentation of urine in the bladder. In particular, P. is promoted by the presence of a fistula from the rectum to the urinary bladder. A prerequisite for its formation is also the presence in the urine of sugar that is easily subject to fermentation, which is why P. has been described mainly in cases of cystitis in diabetics. As agents of fermentation in P., fungi (yeast, etc.) and bacteria of the lactic acid fermentation group and the coli group have been isolated. The product of fermentation is usually carbon dioxide, but sometimes it is of a butyric acid nature with the formation of hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and traces of methane.
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Cite this page
“Pneumaturia.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/pneumaturia/