Cystitis in women: causes, symptoms and treatment

Cystitis is one of the most common diseases in urological practice.

This pathology is an inflammatory process, localized on the mucosa of the bladder.

Women are sick more often than men. This is due to the anatomical features of the structure of the genitourinary system: the urethra in women is shorter and wider, which is why it is much easier for infectious agents to move along the vertical path. The most susceptible to the appearance of cystitis in women aged 20 to 45 years. Symptoms and treatment of this disease we will consider in this article.

Causes of Cystitis in Women

Cystitis is an infectious disease and is most often caused by microorganisms such as E. coli( more than 70% of cases), staphylococci, and other bacteria. Most often, this disease occurs due to the transfer of infection from the lesion located below( vulvovaginitis of different etiologies) or non-compliance with personal hygiene( improper washing).In addition, we can not exclude the hematogenous pathway of infection, in which pathogens move along the bloodstream.

The downward pathway of infection also has a place in this disease. In this case, the bacteria enter the bladder from the overlying parts of the urinary system( kidneys, ureters) with a current of urine( for example, with pyelonephritis).

Often, the causes of the development of cystitis in women can be due to anomalies in the development of the urinary system( strictures, underdevelopment, etc.).Oncological diseases also prevent the normal retention of urine, causing it to stagnate and become infected.

A number of provoking factors that reduce the overall immune resistance of the body can affect the appearance and development of the disease. To such factors should be attributed the following:

• transferred infectious gynecological, venereal or urological diseases with acute or chronic course( adnexitis, salpingitis, salpingoophoritis, pyelonephritis, urethritis)
  
• previous supercooling of the body;
  
• regular long-term stay in a sitting position( working at the computer for more than 3 hours, without getting up from the table, leads to stagnation of urine, its possible infection);
  
• decreased immunity due to pregnancy;
  
• decreased immune forces caused by diabetes mellitus;
  
• presence of chronic foci of infection( tonsillitis, caries, rhinitis, etc.);
  
• taking medications that have immunosuppressive action( cytostatics, hormones);
  
• frequent stressful situations and emotional overexertion;
  
• irregular feeding and lack of sleep;
  
• non-observance of rules of personal hygiene( a rare change of hygiene products during menstruation, improper washing, irregular change of underwear);
  
• traumatic back injury;
  
• pathological conditions that do not completely empty the bladder( neurological diseases, previous spinal cord injuries, neurogenic bladder, etc.);
  
• early onset of sexual activity;
  
• old age.

Symptoms of cystitis in women

Clinical symptoms, as well as signs of cystitis in women, have a vivid picture if it is an acute process.

When cystitis takes a chronic course, the symptoms in women become erased, and the disease proceeds less noticeably.

Suspected development of cystitis is possible if there are several of the following symptoms:

1. 1) Frequent urge to urinate( sometimes every quarter of an hour);
   
2. 2) Soreness, rezi, burning sensation during the urethra during urination, the peak of which is observed at the very end of urine output;
   
3. 3) Abdominal pain( in the suprapubic region), may be an independent phenomenon, and may accompany the process of urination;
   
4. 4) Urine turbidity;
   
5. 5) The presence of flakes, purulent clots in the urine;
   
6. 6) Urine with an unpleasant, pungent odor;
   
7. 7) Hematuria - the presence of blood in the urine;
   
8. 8) Feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder;
   
9. 9) There may be pain in the lumbar spine or in the projection of the kidneys( if the pathological inflammatory process has risen and affected the kidneys);
   
10. 10) With prolonged course and lack of adequate treatment, enuresis may develop( impossibility to retain urine).

In addition, with severe course of cystitis, general symptoms may occur in women: a rise in body temperature( usually up to 37-37.5 ° C), general weakness, malaise, nausea and vomiting( as a reaction to infectious intoxication), chills. Therefore, to understand the question of how to treat cystitis should be in time to avoid complications.

Complications of cystitis in women

With proper treatment, cystitis in women is rapid enough. But with the wrong choice of therapy or no effect on the disease, it is possible to develop a number of complications, among which the following are common:

1. 1) Transition of inflammation deep into the muscle layer of the bladder - interstitial cystitis. The cause of this transition may be vesicoureteral reflux( throwing up the contents of the bladder up the ureter);
   
2. 2) The vertical pathway of infection to the organs of the urinary system, located above( kidneys), can lead to the development of concomitant pathologies: pyelonephritis, kidney abscess, etc.;
   
3. 3) Rupture of the bladder, which results in peritonitis( a rare, but still possible complication).

See also, symptoms of cystitis in men.

Diagnosis of the disease

The sufficiently bright clinical symptomatology allows to suspect the presence of cystitis in women, the diagnosis needs confirmation and differential diagnosis with diseases of other organs of the genitourinary system.

So, in order to make the right diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct and evaluate such research methods as:

• a careful history( recently transferred inflammatory diseases, hypothermia, the presence of doubtful sexual partners, etc.);
  
• examination of therapist and gynecologist( for differential diagnosis with inflammatory diseases of reproductive system organs);
  
• general blood test;
  
• biochemical blood test;
  
• general urinalysis;
  
• urine analysis according to Nechiporenko;
  
• urine culture to identify the pathogen and determine its sensitivity to antibacterial drugs;
  
• cystoscopy;
  
• ultrasound of the pelvic organs( kidneys, bladder, uterus, ovaries);
  
• review urography( determines the pathology of the kidneys, ureters);
  
• study of the microflora of the vagina( for differential diagnosis with vulvovaginitis or colpitis).

Treatment of cystitis in women

As a rule, cystitis therapy in women should be comprehensive. For treatment, several groups of drugs are used: antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, immunomodulators, spasmolytics, uroseptics( see pills for cystitis).


Among the uroseptics, preference is given to such drugs as: Furagin, as well as plant( Kanefron N, bear ears, cranberry leaf, bearberry).In severe pain syndrome, the use of No-shpa is indicated. For the removal of inflammation, the use of NSAIDs is recommended. Drugs of choice among antibiotics are: Ciprofloxacin, Azithromycin, Ofloxacin, Monural, Furadonin.

In addition to taking medication at home, it is advisable to follow some rules that will help cure cystitis faster:

1. 1) First of all, drink enough fluids. It is better to give preference to cranberry or cowberry juice, as well as ordinary water without gases.
   
2. 2) Warming. You can apply to the place that it hurts the heating pad, or an ordinary bottle filled with water of the necessary temperature.
   
3. 3) Remove from the daily diet products in which a high calcium content. This milk, cottage cheese, cheese, etc.
   
4. 3) To get rid of burning, you should drink a glass of water after having dissolved a spoonful of soda. Repeat every 3 hours.

See also: treatment of cystitis at home in women.

Prevention of

Without adequate treatment, often, cystitis acquires a chronic course. If a woman has a tendency to frequent recurrence of the disease, then it must comply with the basic preventive measures:

• is not supercooled;
  
• use a sufficient amount of liquid( not less than 1-1,5liters per day);
  
• is not for a long time in a sitting position( with sedentary work it is recommended to stand up and warm up periodically, walk);
  
• at urge to urinate not tolerate;
  
• timely treatment of chronic process of any localization;
  
• use of personal protective equipment during sexual intercourse;
  
• compliance with the rules of personal hygiene of the genitals( especially during menstruation).

Follow these preventive measures to not treat cystitis in women again.

Cystitis: to which doctor to contact a woman

In case of symptoms of cystitis, first of all a woman needs to see a urologist to clarify the diagnosis, it is he who treats and diagnoses this ailment. It may be necessary to pass an additional urinalysis - a general one, to a bacterial culture according to Nechiporenko, and also to carry out ultrasound of the bladder and a cytoscopic examination( when the urethra and bladder are visualized by means of a special device - a cystoscope).

In addition, it is advisable to visit a gynecologist, as the causative agent of cystitis can be not only common bacteria, but also STIs. In this regard, the consultation of a gynecologist and the delivery of a smear for the study of microflora in the vagina is also necessary.

In most cases, with proper treatment and performance of all the prescriptions of a doctor, cystitis occurs within a week.

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