Cystitis happens when your bladder gets inflamed — usually because of a bladder infection. Cystitis is one of the most prevalent forms of UTI, affecting men and women rather than just one gender.
It’s a relatively mild condition, with most cases responding within a few days, but if you have it regularly, you may require long-term treatment. In really severe situations, there’s also the potential for kidney infection.
Cystitis Symptoms
Several symptoms are associated with this illness. These symptoms include the desire to urinate more frequently. Your urine is likely to be darker, cloudier, or smell stronger. When you urinate, you may feel warmth in your urethra (urine passage) and discomfort in your lower stomach. Nausea, tiredness, and aching are also typical.
Other signs can appear in young children. Some symptoms in children can include vomiting, a poor appetite, irritability, and a temperature of more than 38 degrees Celsius.
While most cases resolve without treatment, it’s critical to get medical help if necessary. If you’re not sure whether you have cystitis, if your symptoms are severe, if your problems don’t get better after a few days, or if you’re a guy, a kid, or a pregnant woman with symptoms that aren’t going away on their own, seek expert help.
Cystitis Causes
The urinary tract comprises the urethra, a tube that allows urine to exit the body. The most frequent cause of cystitis cases is bacteria entering your bladder via the urethra, which resides harmlessly in your bowel or skin. Urinary tract infections are the most common infection in men, affecting approximately 80% of men. Although they are uncommon elsewhere in the body, they can be serious in the urinary tract.
Various factors can cause the bacteria to move into the bladder, and the underlying reason isn’t always apparent. However, for infections in women, typical causes have been identified. The following activities are examples of when you might catch a UTI:
- sexual intercourse,
- wiping your rear from front to back after going to the toilet,
- Using a diaphragm as a contraceptive,
- Inserting a tampon or urinary catheter.
Bacteria may enter the bladder more readily because the urethra is significantly shorter in females.
What is the best way to avoid getting cystitis?
There are a few things to lower your risk of contracting the illness.
Showers are preferable to baths because they protect you from chemicals and germs in the water. You may also prevent dehydration by drinking more fluids, avoiding scented bath and shower products, wearing cotton underwear instead of synthetic materials, and not using a diaphragm rather than birth control.
You should also go to the toilet as soon as possible following sexual intercourse.
What are the best treatments for cystitis?
If you have cystitis, your doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotics. If you’ve opted for home treatment, take paracetamol or ibuprofen, stay hydrated, use a hot water bottle, and avoid sexual activity until you have no symptoms.
Trimethoprim, a popular antibiotic, is beneficial in cystitis treatment and other UTIs since it helps eliminate the microorganisms that cause the condition. This treatment is available as a three-day short course medicine taken twice daily for three days from Express Pharmacy.