A 68 year old male is experiencing lower abdominal pain and says he frequently goes to the bathroom but seems he cant "empty" his bladder. You should suspect:

• A. Urinary retention
• B. UTI
• C. Urethritis
• D. Kidney stones

Answer: (A)

Urinary retention is suggested when a patient feels the urge to urinate frequently but cannot actually empty the bladder, often with lower abdominal or suprapubic discomfort from a distended bladder. In an older man, this pattern commonly results from bladder outlet obstruction, most often due to benign prostatic hyperplasia, which slows or blocks urine flow and leaves the bladder unable to empty fully. This incomplete emptying creates the sense of fullness and persistent urge, along with abdominal pain from the stretched bladder. Urinary tract infections typically cause burning with urination, frequency, and sometimes fever, but not a primary inability to void despite the urge. Urethritis presents with painful or frequent urination and possible discharge, not usually a failure to empty the bladder. Kidney stones cause severe, sharp flank or groin pain and often hematuria, rather than a core symptom of not being able to empty the bladder. The combination of age, lower abdominal discomfort, and a persistent feeling of not emptying points to urinary retention.