From: www.tiscali.co.uk/lifestyle/
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Infection of the bladder is especially common among females as they have a shorter urethra (A).
What is cystitis?
Cystitis is an infection of the bladder, but the term is often used indiscriminately and covers a range of infections and irritations in the lower urinary system. It causes burning sensations during urination and a frequent need to urinate.
How do you get cystitis?
Infection from intestinal
bacteria is by far
the most frequent cause of cystitis, especially among women, who have a very
short urethra (the tube through which the urine passes from the bladder to the
outside). Normally, urine is sterile (there are no micro-organisms such as
bacteria present). Between 20 to 40 per cent of women will get cystitis in
their lifetime.
However, it is possible to have bacteria in the bladder without having any symptoms. There can be several reasons for the bacteria settling in the bladder. When a person is unable to empty the bladder completely by urinating, it is called urine retention. The small drop which is always left behind may contain bacteria. Conditions that may make it easier for the bacteria to travel through the urethra include those listed below.
Congenital deformity in the urinary system
People with a catheter
Men with an enlarged prostate
Pregnant women
Other causes
Venereal diseases
Parasites
Postmenopausal women
Contact dermatitis
What are the symptoms of cystitis?
Who is at special risk?
Good advice
During urination the bladder should be emptied completely. It is
a bad habit to sit on the toilet bent forward and reading while
urinating.
A trick is to place yourself backwards on the toilet, so you
lean against the wall. This posture is more suitable in securing a complete
emptying of the bladder than the usual sitting posture.
Warm clothes on the lower part of the body will also help
prevent cystitis.
As a prevention, it may be helpful to drink cranberry juice
every day or take capsules, but the evidence in support of this is
poor.
Urination immediately after sexual intercourse will flush out
most bacteria from the urethra.
Try to urinate at least once every three hours. Women who avoid
urination for long periods suffer from more infections of the urinary system.
What treatments are available?
How does a doctor diagnose cystitis?
In the case of repeated, inexplicable, infections of the urinary
system, a referral should be made to a hospital for tests such as
ultrasound scanning
or
X-rays of the urinary
system and
cystoscopy
(telescopic examination of the bladder).
Future prospects
In the case of repeated infections of the urinary system,
particularly among boys and young men, the individual should be checked for a
congenital (present from birth) deformity somewhere in the urinary system which
prevents the complete emptying of the bladder.
Everyone with a catheter (to drain urine) will have bacteria
in their bladder, usually without symptoms. During the change of catheter,
small lesions (damaged areas) may appear, which may increase the danger of
infection (cystitis) and possible blood infection.
An
enlarged prostate
(male sex gland) prevents the bladder from emptying completely.
If pregnant women have bacteria in their urine, their urine
should be cultured twice, regardless of whether or not they have any symptoms.
If the same strains of bacteria occur, they should be treated. Otherwise, there
is the risk of kidney infection and pre-term delivery (if near the due
date).
Gonorrhoea and
chlamydia infections
may cause symptoms similar to cystitis. Cystitis-like symptoms among young
sexually active men may be caused by
venereal
diseases.
Particularly among people who have been in North Africa or the
Middle East. The bladder may be infested by parasites - schistosomiasis or
bilharzia (river blindness). The symptoms are similar to cystitis, but there
are no bacteria in the urine.
Due to lack of female sex hormones in
postmenopausal women, a range of
changes take place in the whole body. A consequence of this is that the urinary
system is more easily irritated by cystitis.
Women using a deodorant or other potentially irritating
material on their genitals may develop cystitis-like symptoms.
It is important to drink sufficiently, so the bladder is flushed
thoroughly.
There a number of products available from your pharmacist to
treat cystitis. These can be used unless a woman is vomiting or if there is
blood in the urine or if a woman is pregnant in which case she should consult
her doctor. Usually, a single treatment clears up the problem but if symptoms
persist after trying an over-the-counter remedy then you should consult your
doctor.
The most important examination of
urine is done by
chemical testing (dipstick test), which is very quick, and by
urine culture where
the specimen is sent to a hospital laboratory to grow and examine the bacteria.
The specimen must be fresh. It is also important that the woman has separated
her labia (lips) during urination, to avoid bacteria from the skin and vagina
contaminating the specimen. If there is inflammation, the doctor will identify
bacteria and red and white blood cells in the urine.
Some people, particularly women, may have repeated infections.
To avoid this, follow the good advice above. Women who have more than two
episodes of cystitis yearly may benefit from medium term use of an antibiotic
as protection against infection. The effectiveness of long-term antibiotics
(over 12 months) has not been clearly established.
The documents contained in this web site are presented for information purposes only. The material is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. The materials in this web site cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. Conditions for use
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