Experts from Canada Health&Care Mall have prepared a full guide on cystitis – symptoms of cystitis, how to treat it, how to prevent it, etc.
What Is Cystitis?
Cystitis is one of the most common inflammatory diseases of the bladder and urinary tract. Most often the cause of the disease is the microbes that enter the genitourinary system, causing inflammation there.
Approximately 80% of cases of cystitis is observed in women. This is because in women, the urethra is shorter and wider than that of men, and it is easier for bacteria to penetrate it. In addition, the opening of the urethra in women is located near the anus from where E. coli can enter the urethra. E. coli are frequent causative agents of cystitis in both women and men.
According to statistics, approximately 25% of women have suffered from cystitis, and every tenth woman suffers from a chronic form of cystitis. As for men, this pathology is noted only in 0.5% of them.
Main Causes of Cystitis
Causes of development of cystitis in women and men include:
- In most cases, the cause of cystitis is an infection that has got into the urinary tract. As noted above, pathogenic microflora can enter the urethra from the anus or vagina. This may happen due to the hypothermia of the body or a decrease in the immune system. This is the reason for almost 75–85% of cases of cystitis.
- Taking some medicines. Some types of medications can cause inflammation in the urinary system as a side effect.
- Some women may have a local allergic reaction in the urinary tract mucosa. In this case, you just need to determine the allergen and then avoid contact with it.
In addition to the causes that directly lead to the development of inflammation of the bladder, there are also factors contributing to cystitis.
These factors include:
- Wearing tight lingerie made of synthetics. This promotes the reproduction of bacteria in the genital area, which increases the likelihood of developing cystitis.
- Having casual sex frequently increases the risk of developing sexually transmitted infections (STDs). Against the background of STDs, the bladder can also become inflamed with the urinary tract.
- Bowel diseases. A conditionally pathogenic microflora is activated, which can penetrate into the urinary tract.
- Kidney diseases. The probability of a downward spread of the infectious process increases.
- Violation of the hormonal background. At peak hormonal conditions, there are changes in the microflora of mucous membranes of a vagina and the urethra.
- Diseases that reduce immunity. Pathogenic bacteria more easily penetrate into the urinary tract, contributing to the development of the inflammatory process.
Classification of Cystitis
Cystitis can be primary, secondary, infectious, and non-infectious. Depending on the course of the disease, cystitis can be acute and chronic.
Symptoms of Cystitis
The symptoms of cystitis can be different. The most common symptoms include:
- Itching and burning during urination. This is one of the most characteristic symptoms of cystitis. Most often, these symptoms indicate an infectious or allergic nature of the disease. With the infectious disease, microbes release toxic substances that accumulate in the urine and, getting into the urinary tract, have an irritating effect on the mucous membranes. With allergies, itching and burning are caused by the release of a large amount of histamine, the main mediator of inflammatory processes.
- Pain with cystitis. Another common symptom of cystitis is pain in the lower abdomen and in the perineum. The intensity of pain can be different. Approximately in 10% of cases, cystitis proceeds painlessly. Pain sensations in cystitis often spread to the back, and the patient may get the impression that the back hurts. Often the pain associated with cystitis is accompanied by other symptoms such as a headache, fatigue, and high fever.
- Hematuria (blood in the urine). Sometimes, there can be blood in the urine. Urine can acquire a pale pink and brick shade. Often the blood in the urine indicates a viral lesion of the mucous membrane of the urinary tract.
Treatment of Cystitis
With the expressed painful sensations, doctors prescribe drugs that relieve a spastic stricture of a bladder, as well as anesthetics. The main component of cystitis therapy is the use of broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs. Usually, fluoroquinolones are used. If during the diagnostic procedures viruses or fungi were detected, then antiviral or antifungal agents are prescribed accordingly.
- If you carry out competent treatment, then within 7–12 days, you can completely get rid of cystitis.
- Treatment of chronic cystitis is aimed at restoring the normal outflow of urine with anti-inflammatory drugs and medicines based on plant extracts.
- In order to quickly remove toxic substances from the body, it is recommended to drink a lot of water.
- In addition to medicines, the doctor can also prescribe herbal medicinal herbs. In any case, it is recommended to consult a doctor when taking any medicines.
Tips to Prevent Cystitis
Following several simple recommendations will help you prevent cystitis:
- It is important to follow the rules of personal hygiene – daily change of underwear, take showers at least two times a day. Use soap with neutral pH, a soft towel, and wear cotton underwear.
- Drink at least 1.5–2 liters of water daily.
- Try not to allow immunodeficiency conditions, including hypothermia and other diseases. The weakening of the reactive forces of the body in some people may result in a herpetic reaction, angina, and sinusitis. With a tendency to cystitis against the background of immunodeficiency, there are relapses.
Ways to Treat Cystitis Using Natural Remedies
Treatment of cystitis with natural remedies lasts for 1.5–2 months with a break of 1–2 weeks in between. Natural remedies for cystitis can be combined with other treatments.
It is recommended to use the decoction of herbs (kidney tea, bearberry), which have a diuretic effect. Other natural remedies include chamomile, St. John’s wort (see information), plantains, field horsetail, Acorus calamus, etc. Phytotherapy in combination with diet and warming procedures is often effective enough both in the treatment of acute cystitis and to avoid exacerbations in the chronic course of the disease.
In uncomplicated cases, drinking herbal tea from chamomile or cornstarch will help reduce inflammation. Bearberry is a strong antiseptic. Celery seeds, Agrimonia Eupatoria (affects the swollen tissues as a tonic and astringent), marshmallow (has a strong emollient effect) are also very effective in the treatment of cystitis.
After 2–3 weeks of regular intake of herbs, patients notice a significant improvement. Before you take this or that herb, it is advisable to get acquainted with the contraindications and consult your doctor.
Best Medications to Treat Cystitis at Canadian Health&Care Mall
Due to the bacterial nature of cystitis, the main group of drugs for the treatment of the disease are antibiotics of a wide range of action.
Note that for the correct selection of an antibiotic, a urine sample is required to determine the causative agent, its resistance, and sensitivity to antimicrobial drugs. That is why when choosing a drug for cystitis, a visit to the doctor is important.
The most common antibiotics for cystitis, which you can also find at Canadian Health&Care Mall, are the following:
- The drug has antibacterial action of a wide spectrum. It is available in the form of powder, suspension, and granules.
- Today, drugs of norfloxacin are considered very effective medicines since most bacteria have not yet developed resistance to them and are very sensitive to its action.
- It is a drug for cystitis, the popularity of which is due to its low cost, while it can eliminate both acute and chronic forms of the disease.
- Pipemidic acid. The drug is used for acute and chronic infections of the urinary tract.
» You can view all offers for Cystitis treatment at Canadian Health&Care Mall www.canadahealthcaremall.com by following this link
Another group of drugs that are used in the treatment of cystitis is phytodrugs. They are medicinal products of plant origin, derived from herbs, plant roots, whole plants or their extracts.
In the case of cystitis, phytodrugs can be used as a stand-alone drug (in case of mild symptoms and the absence of fever) or as an auxiliary and maintenance therapy to accelerate the recovery process.
However, most often phytotherapeutic drugs are used in complex therapy with other antibacterial agents since their independent use is ineffective and does not eliminate the underlying cause of the disease.
The third group of drugs used to treat cystitis is analgesics and antispasmodics. Their use is designed to relieve pain. The most common among them are drotaverine and papaverine.
Note that other drugs for cystitis may include probiotics. The purpose of their reception is restoration of the microflora of the vagina and intestines. These are the drugs that contain Bifidobacterium and lactobacilli.
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