Cystitis in women

What is cystitis in women?— one of the most common urological diseases is cystitis.This is an inflammation of the bladder wall, which occurs more often in the fair sex - in 80% of cases.According to statistics, the prevalence of this disease among the female population in a calendar year amounts to 36 million cases.For men, these figures are many times lower.

Almost every woman has experienced unpleasant symptoms of the disease at least once in her life.This is explained by the structural features of the urinary system.The urethra, which has a larger diameter and shorter length than the male one, and the close proximity of the vagina and anus allow pathogens to quickly penetrate the bladder cavity.Cystitis that appears in a woman between the ages of 16 and 65 and is not accompanied by other pathologies of the urinary system is said to be uncomplicated.Treatment is successfully carried out on an outpatient basis (at home).

Causes of cystitis in women

Basically, the nature of the disease is contagious.There are several pathogens, but the main one is E.coli.Sometimes cystitis develops against the background of other diseases associated with urology and gynecology.Factors that can cause inflammation:

• Hypothermia of the body.The risk group includes girls and women who prefer to wear clothes that are unsuitable for the climate, for example, too thin tights, short skirts in the cold season.
• Neglect of genital hygiene.Often this is what causes cystitis in girls.
• Neurogenic bladder is a problem that occurs not only in children, but also in adults.Associated with impaired voluntary urination.Due to the increased sensitivity of bladder receptors, this condition is diagnosed more often in girls than boys.The result is malnutrition of the organ, which leads to the rapid development of pathogenic microflora that causes inflammation.
• Hormonal changes that occur in the female body during pregnancy, metabolic disorders in diabetes mellitus provoke the onset of cystitis.
• Wearing too tight, tight and uncomfortable clothes leads to disruption of the blood supply to the organs of the urinary system.
• Radiation therapy for pelvic tumors can cause inflammation.
• Estrogen deficiency, changes in the mucosa during menopause.
• Injuries to the walls of the bladder during various endoscopic procedures.
• In girls, the manifestation of cystitis occurs during the first sexual intercourse.The reason is the lesion of the bladder wall, the ingress of microflora from the vagina into the urethra.Therefore, even an active and vigorous sexual life, when there is also a high risk of infection, contributes to the onset of the disease.

Under the influence of these factors, a pathogenic microflora develops, leading to inflammation and the appearance of unpleasant symptoms.

Clinical picture of cystitis

The disease in women occurs suddenly, within a short period of time after the action of a provoking factor (hypothermia, infection, trauma).

The first and main symptom is usually pollakiuria, or frequent urination.It is observed as a result of increased tone of the bladder wall caused by inflammation.

The desire to go to the toilet occurs up to several dozen times a day, every 15-20 minutes.The volume of each portion of urine becomes less and less.Some patients, on the contrary, suffer from urinary retention (due to spasm of the sphincter) or incontinence (if the cervix of the organ is affected).

The woman feels severe pain in the very lower abdomen, moving towards the perineum.The greatest discomfort is felt when emptying the bladder.It manifests itself painfully, with pain and a burning sensation.At the beginning and end of the urination process, unpleasant sensations may occur.

One of the constant symptoms is leukocyturia.The color of urine changes, it becomes cloudy, interspersed with pus and blood.With pronounced hematuria, they speak of a hemorrhagic form of cystitis.

The general health of the woman worsens, weakness and malaise appear and the temperature can rise up to 38°C.

Classification of cystitis

In medicine, it is customary to distinguish types of disease based on the course, the cause of formation, the stage of development, morphological changes and the prevalence of the inflammatory process.The generally accepted classification distinguishes the following types of cystitis in women:

• Hemorrhagic.The cause of the pathology is the activity of viruses, bacteria, fungi.Urine contains blood, depending on the amount of blood, the color varies from pink to brown.In the absence of treatment, iron deficiency anemia may develop, and subsequently a general infection of the body due to blockage of the pathways with blood clots.
• Interstitial.The inflammation is not infectious and occurs more often among young women.The reason is the lack of glycosaminoglycans, which causes inflammation.Characterized by severe cutting pain and frequent urges, especially at night.With a vigorous sex life, the disease can progress.
• Radiation cystitis.It occurs after radiation used in the treatment of tumors.The procedure affects the sensitivity of the bladder, causes deformation of the walls and dysfunction of the organ.
• Catarrhal cystitis.In addition to blood, stones, sand and an increased content of calcium salts are found in the urine.Bladder capacity decreases.
• Encrusting.The affected mucosa is covered with salts and fibrin.Drug therapy is not always effective.The best results in treatment are achieved with surgical intervention.
• Cervical cystitis.Named according to location: inflammation forms in the neck of the bladder.The peculiarity lies in the damage to the mucosa, as well as the sphincters that regulate urination.A woman often feels false impulses, pain in the perineum and lower abdomen.Laboratory analysis of urine reveals a high content of pathogenic microorganisms within it.

The type of disease can be determined only after a comprehensive examination.

Acute and chronic cystitis

The existing differences in the course of the disease allow us to distinguish its different forms.

Acute cystitis

It progresses rapidly and is characterized by pronounced symptoms: dysuria (difficulty urinating), leukocyturia and terminal hematuria.The woman experiences frequent urges that cause discomfort with strong painful sensations.Dysuric disorders after 5-10 minutes cause a desire to go to the toilet, the portions of urine excreted are scanty.

Chronic cystitis

Its symptoms are similar to the acute form.Flares of the disease occur one or more times during the year.Expressed in the form of frequent and painful urination, severe pain in the pubic area.The characteristics of chronic cystitis> are:

• nocturia: the need to urinate at night;
• Dysuria is an incessant desire to empty the bladder.

In the remission phase, symptoms are slow, imperceptible or completely absent.

Diagnostics

Detection of cystitis at an early stage allows you to start treatment on time, to prevent the disease from becoming chronic and other complications from occurring.Laboratory and instrumental studies help to establish an accurate diagnosis.They include: general urinalysis, bacteriological culture, vaginal smear.If necessary, ultrasound, cystoscopy and cystography are prescribed.

The main and mandatory research method is urinalysis.With its help, the degree of the inflammatory process and the type of causative agent of the disease are determined.A general analysis allows you to determine how high the number of leukocytes and red blood cells is.The composition contains salts of uric acid, mucus and bacteriuria.In the presence of inflammation, urine takes on a cloudy appearance and may have a reddish tint.

It is not always possible to make an accurate diagnosis based on laboratory methods alone.In these cases, the doctor prescribes cystoscopy, a method that allows you to evaluate the condition of the bladder, the presence of stones, tumors, ulcers and foreign bodies inside it.The condition of the walls of the organs is determined using ultrasound.

Treatment regimen

It is not difficult to get rid of cystitis if you follow all the doctor's instructions.The treatment regimen is drawn up taking into account the cause of the exacerbation, the type of pathogen and the presence of concomitant diseases.For bacterial cystitis it includes:

• Antibacterial therapy.
• Taking antispasmodics.
• Special diet.
• Herbalism, the use of traditional medicine.

In addition to the above methods, for recurrent cystitis, physiotherapy and installations are prescribed.Women during menopause are advised to use hormone creams containing estrogen.Sitz herbal baths help improve well-being and relieve unpleasant symptoms.

Drug therapy

Timely treatment with effective methods allows you to completely eliminate inflammation and restore the mucosa.

To relieve pain, antispasmodics are prescribed.A natural preparation for the treatment of cystitis has an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effect.The biologically active substances in its composition have a beneficial effect on the urinary tract and kidneys.

Given the bacterial nature of the disease, the use of antibiotics is a mandatory step in treatment.They are prescribed taking into account the type of cystitis pathogen, the degree of absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, the speed of elimination from the body and side effects.Modern drugs have the ability to linger in the affected organ, which increases their effectiveness and allows shortening the course of treatment.

Traditional methods of treatment

Our great-grandmothers knew well what cystitis was and used various traditional medicines to get rid of its unpleasant and painful symptoms.

Treatment with cranberries

The berries, as well as the leaves of the plant, harvested in early spring, are used until the nutrients and beneficial substances are transferred to the flowers and fruits.In folk medicine there are many recipes with cranberries:

• Pour boiling water over the berries (2 cups of water per 150 g), leave for an hour, drink 0.5 cups three times a day.
• The leaves of the plant are crushed, poured into a pan, fresh water is added and put on fire.After boiling, remove, let the broth brew for a while, take before meals 3 times a day for three months.For 60 g of raw material you will need 1 liter of water.
• For preventive purposes, it is recommended to use cranberry jam and fruit drinks in the diet.

It should be noted that cranberries wash away potassium and calcium, which a woman needs for health and beauty, along with urine.It is important, using decoctions of cranberries, to enrich the diet with products that replenish the essential microelements (ricotta, pumpkin, parsley).

Chamomile for cystitis

The plant is used not only to prepare herbal teas and decoctions.Topical application of chamomile is no less effective in the fight against cystitis.The infusion is used for douching.Chamomile decoction restores damaged mucous membranes, cleans the internal surface of the bladder from infections and improves blood circulation.

Bearberry

The plant is known for its diuretic and antibacterial effects.A 30 ml infusion is prepared from the leaves.Pour 30 g of crushed raw material into a glass of boiling water and leave for 45 minutes, then filter.

Traditional medicine in the treatment of cystitis is an addition to drug therapy.Their use is possible only after consulting a doctor.

The disease can be avoided if you follow some rules: avoid hypothermia, maintain hygiene, strengthen the immune system and not ignore infections and inflammations that appear in the body.