Cystitis: why it occurs and how to treat it

Cystitis: what causes it? Main reasons

Patients with cystitis are almost always women. They are initially at risk due to the structural features of the body: the short and wide urethra, located near the vagina, opens wide opportunities for pathogenic microorganisms to enter the bladder. But this is only a probability, which is higher the more often a person encounters the following factors:

1. Hypothermia. The habit of dressing inappropriately for the weather, swimming in low temperatures and sitting on cold surfaces almost always leads to cystitis. The blood vessels in the bladder narrow, which is beneficial for the development and further reproduction of bacteria in the tissues.
2. Hormonal disbalance. We are talking about a sharp drop in estrogen in the body, which leads to problems with the genitourinary system. For this reason, cystitis often occurs in women during menopause.
3. Disturbed blood flow in the pelvic organs. The majority of adults face this problem: sedentary work and minimal movement provoke an inflammatory process in the bladder.
4. Stagnation of urine. Almost all people periodically have to endure, putting off going to the toilet “until better times”: a long queue, a long trip on a bus with no possibility of stopping, a closed bathroom on a train... But some unjustifiably risk their health, simply not wanting to get up from the computer to go to the toilet. This habit leads to the active development of infections in stagnant urine. As a result, not only cystitis is likely, but also bladder stones.
5. Ignoring personal hygiene rules. Despite the availability of information, many women simply do not know how to care for their bodies. Necessary:

• wash yourself daily;
• change pads and tampons at least every two hours;
• after defecation, wipe from front to back (otherwise intestinal bacteria may enter the urethra and bladder);
• wash thoroughly before and after sexual intercourse;
• do not practice vaginal sex immediately after anal sex.

The above reasons do not necessarily provoke cystitis. If the body is strong enough, then it will be able to resist the disease and cope with it on its own, even without “notifying” the person. But a slight decrease in immunity (for example, during a cold or during pregnancy) can become the trigger that activates all the symptoms of cystitis.

Cystitis: treatment

Bacterial cystitis

If the cause of your cystitis is bacteria, your doctor will likely prescribe antibiotics. You will begin to feel better within a day, but be sure to take all medications as directed. How long you should take them depends on your overall health, frequency of infection, and type of bacteria.

If you are a menopausal woman, your doctor may also suggest vaginal estrogen cream.

Interstitial cystitis

It is more difficult to treat because doctors don't know the cause, but the following steps often provide relief:

• Avoiding spicy foods and foods high in potassium.
• Quitting smoking and drinking alcohol.
• Bladder training, which means changing your urinating habits so you don't have to go to the toilet as often.
• Taking medications to relax the bladder and relieve some symptoms.
• Gentle electrical impulses to stimulate nerves.

Other types of cystitis

If you have cystitis caused by soap, bubble bath, or other hygiene product, you will need to avoid these products.

If you are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, your doctor may prescribe pain medication and encourage you to drink more water to flush out your bladder.

What causes cystitis? Nutrition issues

The body reacts very sensitively to what it is fed. And the body does not like the following foods too much:

• alcohol;
• hot spices;
• citrus fruits and juices from them;
• carbonated drinks;
• onion;
• some fruits and berries (for example, grapes, melons, peaches, apples, plums);
• cheese products;
• mayonnaise, soy sauce, vinegar;
• chocolate;
• nuts.

These foods irritate the bladder, increasing the risk of bladder inflammation. This also includes medications and vitamins that contain saccharin.

Some people can tolerate “dangerous” foods just fine, but it is best to limit the amount of them in your diet to minimize the likelihood of developing cystitis.

Treatment of cystitis with folk remedies

Read also Skin cancer - first signs, symptoms, causes and treatment of skin cancer

Many, many people have been helped by folk remedies in the treatment of cystitis. Let's look at some of them.

Warming up

Before warming up, it will be good if you steam your legs, and then, after wrapping yourself up, apply a heating pad to the bladder area.

Salt. Heat table salt in a frying pan and pour into a sock. Apply it like a heating pad to your lower abdomen and crawl under the blanket.

Buckwheat, millet, rice. Do the same as with salt.

Water bottle. Fill a plastic bottle with hot water, apply it to your lower abdomen and wrap yourself up.

The warming process should be pleasant, so if the heating pad is very hot, place a cloth under it.

Baths

With sea salt. Fill the bath with water and add sea salt.

With essential oils. Add 2 drops each of eucalyptus, sandalwood and juniper oils to the bath water and sit for 10 minutes.

Juniper essential oil is contraindicated during pregnancy.

With chamomile. Brew 3-4 tbsp in boiling water. spoons of chamomile and pour into a bowl, stirring with warm water. Sit in this bath until it cools down, but remember that the water should not be too hot. You can make the same bath with calendula or add calendula to chamomile.

With iodine. Fill a bowl of hot water and pour in some iodine. Sit over the bath for 10-15 minutes.

With milk. Heat the milk to such a state that you can sit in it, take it until it cools down.

Decoctions

Chamomile. Pour 1 tbsp. spoon of chamomile 1 glass of boiling water. Take 20 ml 3 times a day.

Read also Psoriasis - causes, symptoms, photos, types and treatment of psoriasis

St. John's wort. 1 tbsp. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over a spoonful of St. John's wort. Boil for 10-15 minutes and strain. Take 50 ml 3 times a day.

Sage. 1 tbsp. Pour a spoonful of medicinal sage into 1 cup of boiling water and boil for 30 minutes in a water bath. Cool and add hot water if necessary until you get 1 cup of liquid. Take 50 ml 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.

Lingonberry leaves. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2 teaspoons of lingonberry leaves and boil for 10-15 minutes. Let the broth steep for at least 2 hours. Strain and take 100 ml 4 times a day before meals.

Yarrow. Brew 2 teaspoons of yarrow with 1 cup of boiling water. Let stand for 1 hour and strain. Take a quarter glass 4 times a day.

Psychological causes of cystitis

All sober-minded people sooner or later understand that the psychological state directly affects physical well-being. The main “reasons” for cystitis from this point of view include:

1. Anger. It is believed that the body is trying with all its might to remove negative emotions from itself. And urine “contaminated” with anger becomes a favorable springboard for the development of infection.
2. Fear of life and free will. Many suffer from the fear of quitting their job, moving away from their parents, leaving a boring partner... As a result, a person shrinks internally, which negatively affects the general condition of the body.
3. Nervousness, constant feeling of anxiety. Frequent stress has long been considered one of the factors provoking illness. Strong experiences weaken the immune system: the slightest “hint” is enough – and cystitis will begin to actively develop.

Of course, it is hardly possible to completely get rid of negativity in the modern world. But when your own health is at stake, it doesn’t hurt to at least try.

Cystitis as a sign of pregnancy

There is an opinion among women that it is by inflammation of the bladder that conception can be detected. Cystitis as a sign of pregnancy before the delay is actively discussed on the Internet. It’s rare that a pregnant women’s forum is complete without heated discussions in the message feed. In fact, the signs of cystitis before menstruation can be as similar as during pregnancy, but have nothing in common with cystitis.

Cystitis as a sign of conception has nothing to do with this process and cannot be perceived as a signal of pregnancy. Many girls defend the opinion that it is the signs of cystitis in pregnant women that become the first markers of successful fertilization. This opinion arose exclusively at the everyday level, since the signs of pregnancy are in many ways similar to the signs of bladder inflammation.

But it is simply impractical to determine signs of pregnancy in the early stages by the presence of frequent urination and pain in the lower abdomen. Cystitis cannot be a sign of pregnancy, since the mechanism of symptoms is completely different. Therefore, if you have cystitis, you should not guess whether you are pregnant or not, but it is better to purchase a pregnancy test and, after receiving a negative result, begin to seriously treat cystitis.

Signs of cystitis in children

Signs of cystitis in children can be quite difficult to determine, since many children do not complain to their parents if they are mildly unwell, and if the baby has a diaper, parents simply cannot control the amount of urination. Here it is necessary to focus on the baby’s behavioral signs and carefully analyze the manifestations of cystitis.

Usually children become nervous, whiny, and may not specifically ask to go to the toilet because they are scared of their condition. If the temperature rises and there is pain in the lower abdomen, parents should contact their pediatrician. Signs of cystitis in girls may resemble gynecology, so consultation with specialists is mandatory.

It is also worth paying attention to the diaper - if the color of the discharge changes, spotting that is dirty brown or greenish in color is added, and if there is a strong smell of urine, you also need to get tested. If parents notice symptoms similar to cystitis in a child, they can check by placing the child on a potty and collecting urine in a transparent container. Urine with cystitis will clearly differ from healthy biological fluid.

Treatment of the first signs of cystitis

The first signs of cystitis should be treated immediately as soon as they appear. When contacting the clinic, the doctor will prescribe a bacterial culture and isolate the pathogen in order to recommend the most effective antibiotic. At the first signs of cystitis, you can take Monural, as well as the drugs Palin, Nitrofurantoin, Furagin, Furazolidine, Rulid, Furadonin, Nevigramon.

Treatment for signs of cystitis depends on the severity of the disease. In severe cases, instillations into the bladder may be prescribed to flush out pathogenic microflora. The symptoms of cystitis and its treatment should not be left to chance, otherwise the disease threatens to become chronic, which is extremely difficult to get rid of. The first signs of cystitis can be treated on an outpatient basis; patients receive sick leave.

data-full-width-responsive=”true”

Video playlist about cystitis (video selection in the upper right corner)

Chronic cystitis: causes

In about a third of cases, acute cystitis passes into the chronic phase. This means deeper damage to the bladder, as well as the likelihood of irreversible changes in the muscle layer and shrinkage of the organ.

The causes of chronic cystitis are traditionally called:

1. Complication from another disease. Infection from the affected organ spreads throughout the body, reaching the bladder. Most often, this route passes through the kidneys. Without eliminating the initial source of inflammation, it is impossible to cure chronic cystitis.
2. Factors provoking acute cystitis. This includes poor hygiene, weak immunity, hormonal changes, and hypothermia. But impaired bladder emptying is especially critical.
3. Advanced or untreated acute cystitis. If the patient has undergone incomplete or poor-quality treatment, then the likelihood of the disease degenerating into a chronic form is almost guaranteed.

In fact, in the international classification the concept of “Chronic cystitis” as such is absent, but there is “Other chronic cystitis”. This means that the doctor must definitely detail the diagnosis, finding the original cause of the inflammation and taking care of bringing the problem organ back to normal. Only against the background of such therapy is it possible to successfully treat the bladder.

The causes of cystitis are mainly related to poor lifestyle. It is enough to eat a balanced diet, move more and promptly “respond” to the urge to urinate to significantly reduce the likelihood of cystitis. Following these simple recommendations will not cause any discomfort, but will improve your well-being and improve your overall quality of life.

Symptoms of cystitis

The disease begins abruptly and acutely, exhibiting the following symptoms:

• frequent and painful urination;
• feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder;
• nagging pain in the suprapubic region;
• drops of blood in urine;
• cloudy urine;
• sometimes fever, nausea and vomiting.

Severe forms of cystitis

Inflammation of the bladder occurs severely when the patient’s immunity is reduced, the state of vitamin deficiency, against the background of secondary inflammation with an exacerbation of the underlying disease or with its unstable course.

Bladder pathology is a serious illness that requires referral to a qualified specialist.

Hemorrhagic form - accompanied by microhematuria at the end of urination (similar damage to the capillaries is possible both with serous and purulent inflammation), but with pronounced destruction of the wall of the feeding vessels. Permeability is greatly enhanced.

This type of pathology develops in patients with:

• anemia and other hematopoietic diseases;
• impaired blood clotting;
• lack of ascorbic, folic acid and vitamin B12 in the body;
• streptococcal infection.

The patient appears:

• pain in the sacral area;
• difficulty urinating until complete urinary retention;
• severe pain when urinating;
• heat;
• general weakness;
• urine has a foul odor due to necrotic tissue and pus.

Cases have been described in which bladder gangrene simulated signs of an “acute abdomen.” A similar option is actually possible when the molten wall of the bladder is perforated through and urine is poured into the abdominal cavity. Peritonitis develops.

Manifestations:

• abdominal muscles are tense;
• the pain is diffuse;
• blood pressure drops;
• tachycardia and weak pulse are observed;
• the skin is covered with sticky cold sweat.

The clinical picture of cystitis after radiation therapy and tuberculosis always takes on a chronic course. The severity of the pathology is associated with significant suppression of the immune system by the underlying disease.

Features of postpartum cystitis in women

The cause of postpartum inflammation of the bladder is infection from the birth canal or anus into the urethra. More often develops in women with:

• protracted and complicated labor;
• previous untreated inflammation of the birth canal;
• multiple pregnancy;
• severe trauma during contractions.

Postpartum cystitis is a pathology that occurs due to infection of the mucous membrane of the bladder during childbirth.

The symptoms are no different from ordinary acute cystitis. The woman feels:

• pain and stinging at the end of urination;
• frequent urges.

The general condition is usually not affected. Body temperature is normal. A moderate number of leukocytes without severe bacteriuria is determined in the urine.