Cystitis in women - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Cystitis is a common disease in which the bladder becomes inflamed, or rather its mucous membrane. It is most often found among diseases of the bladder. Cystitis in healthy non-pregnant women aged 16-65 years in the absence of other diseases of the urinary tract is considered uncomplicated, it is subject to outpatient treatment( at home).

Causes of cystitis in women

Cystitis is also caused by men, but in women it is more common than in men. This disease most often affects girls and women of childbearing age "thanks to" the peculiarities of the structure of the genitourinary system. The female urethra, or else it is called the urethra, is broader and shorter than that of a man, and therefore the infection gets into the woman's bladder much easier. An important role in the appearance of cystitis in female representatives is the location of the urogenital canal relative to other organs - the close topographic location of the urethra and anus. All these factors contribute to favorable conditions for the spread of opportunistic microflora, as well as the spreading of bacteria from these organs into the bladder or urethra. Cystitis in acute form can develop in one woman several times and even go into a chronic form.

In most cases, the cause of cystitis is one or another infection. Staphylococci, streptococci, Escherichia coli and others are the most frequent representatives of the conditionally pathogenic environment of the human body. The cause of cystitis can be sexual ureaplasma and mycoplasmal infections.

The main causes of the appearance of acute cystitis:

• , 70-95% of the patients observed had an E. coli, the so-called E. coli;
• in 5-20% of patients found staphylococcus, it is called Staphylococcus saprophyticus;
• in the rest are found less familiar to us bacteria Klebsiella spp and Proteus mirabilis, he also proteus.

The cause of cystitis can be catheterization of the bladder. Sometimes it turns out that with catheterization for research or for artificial urine in urological studies, infection of the urethra occurs. Catheterization of the bladder is most dangerous for a woman if she has recently given birth to a child or is currently pregnant, because during this period, women have a decrease in the tone of the urinary tract. If the cystitis developed after an operative or instrumental intervention, for example, after a catheterization of the bladder, the pathogens are usually Gram-negative bacteria. In addition to bacterial pathogens, cystitis is also provoked by various fungi, for example, Candida, as well as chlamydia, trichomonads, mycoplasmas and viruses.

Symptoms of cystitis in women

One of the main symptoms of acute cystitis is very painful urination, as well as sensations of rubbing and burning. Also can annoy the feeling of pain in the lower abdomen, the feeling of not completely emptied bladder. There is also incontinence of urine at the moment of a strong desire to urinate.

Urine can acquire a murky color, and sometimes acquire a bloody( with a trace of blood) shade, which is a sign of the complications that have begun.

In some cases, with cystitis, there may be an increase in body temperature to 37.5 degrees. In this case, you should immediately call your doctor, as there is a chance of kidney disease. At the first symptoms of cystitis, consult a doctor, the infection can not go away by itself without treatment, the inflammation will subside, but the disease will change into a chronic form and will bother you more and more often, and the cure will become much more difficult.

Prevalence of cystitis

Acute cystitis( inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bladder) is considered to be the most common disease in urology. The incidence of acute cystitis in women is 0.5-0.7 episodes of the disease per woman per year. The prevalence of acute cystitis in Russia, according to calculated data, is 26-36 million cases per year. For comparison, the incidence of acute cystitis in adult men is 6-8 episodes per year per 1000 men aged 21-50 years.

In girls, cystitis is diagnosed 3 times more often than in boys and is found mainly at the age of 4 to 12 years, less often from 1 year to 3 years and from 13 to 15 years, extremely rare in newborns and infants.

One of the most common diseases of the bladder is chronic cystitis: according to different authors, it ranges from 11 to 21% of all cases of its destruction. When considering the term "chronic cystitis", some urologists do not specify the frequency of exacerbation, others consider that they should be 2 or more per year.

Do not bring acute cystitis to chronic, treatment will be more difficult and expensive, the chances of a complete cure are less, and the chances of getting complications on the kidneys are more.

Cystitis in pregnancy

Inflammation of the bladder can overtake a woman both at late, that and early in pregnancy. Such a cystitis is already considered complicated and the treatment is carried out only in a hospital under the supervision of doctors.

The main reasons why a pregnant woman can develop cystitis are hemodynamic and mechanical factors, as well as hormonal imbalance. This all can lead to difficulties in emptying the bladder, which in consequence leads to the appearance of residual urine, which causes the appearance of infection. At the first suspicions of pregnant women that they began to develop cystitis, they should immediately contact the gynecologist, who in turn will send, possibly, to the urologist.

Cystitis in children( girls)

Cystitis can be found in children of all ages, however, among girls of preschool and school age, the risk of cystitis is 5-6 times higher than in other cases. The main cause of the appearance of cystitis in girls of the above age are the features of the genitourinary system, poor barrier properties of the skin and mucous membrane, as well as the absence of endocrine function in the ovaries. Reduced activity of immunity( as in the case of any other diseases), can create excellent conditions for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms in the urethra. The main thing that is required for the prevention of cystitis in girls is the banal observance of the rules of hygiene of the sexual organs.

Diagnosis of cystitis

As a rule, the diagnosis is made on the basis of characteristic symptoms. On the gynecological chair, the doctor takes the urinary tract isolation test to accurately identify the pathogen and determine its sensitivity to antibiotics in order to correctly prescribe the drug. Additional diagnostic methods are prescribed only if there are suspicions of complications or concomitant diseases.

Treatment of cystitis in women

With uncomplicated cystitis, only the mucous membrane of the bladder is affected without a profound invasion of microorganisms into the submucosa. In this case, urgent out-patient treatment is needed.

The standard recommendation of urologists for cystitis is the use of natural remedies for the treatment and prevention of inflammation of the bladder. This drug is Uroprofit, which has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effect. The complex of biologically active substances that make up Uroprofit contributes to the normalization of urination, improves the functional state of the kidneys and urinary tract, and also reduces the risk of repeated exacerbations of chronic cystitis. If the pathogen has penetrated deeper, treatment at home is indispensable, in this case it is necessary to go to a hospital.

The most important in the treatment of cystitis is the destruction of those pathogenic microbes that live in the genitourinary system and provoke inflammation. Therefore, naturally and necessarily, antibiotics ( ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin. ..) and antibacterial preparations are used in the treatment of cystitis. In uncomplicated, nonspecific cystitis( caused by those microbes that normally live in the female body) or exacerbation of chronic cystitis, it is enough to use inside tablets of furadonin, 100-150 mg 3-4 times a day for 5-8 days.

When choosing antibiotics, the nature of the causative agent of the disease, as well as parameters such as absorption of the drug in the digestive tract, the properties and speed of its distribution throughout the body, as well as the rate of its elimination and side effects should be taken into account.

In the past, antibiotics such as campicillin, biseptol, palin, nitroxaline were used to treat cystitis. However, one of such major causative agents of cystitis as E. coli became almost insensitive to them. In addition, they had many side effects. To date, there are antibiotics, which are concentrated in the majority in the bladder, which increases the effectiveness of the drug, significantly shortens the duration of treatment, and exposes the patient to much less stress.

Among these drugs can be noted phosphomycin. Due to the fact that it concentrates in the patient's urine, the course of treatment is significantly reduced, and the minimum possible number of side effects makes it applicable for the treatment of children and pregnant women. The lack of photoxicity( taking even small amounts of some drugs can cause changes in the appearance of the skin when exposed to bright light), which makes it possible to apply it even on sunny summer days.

During attacks of acute cystitis, phosphomycin is prescribed once( at a time), which subsequently gives an opportunity to continue treatment with other drugs. If chronic cystitis worsened, then two doses of the drug may be required.

When cystitis caused by viruses, use antiviral drugs( suppressing viruses or interferon inducers - arbidol, orwiem, amixin, etc.) When you connect the fungal infection - antifungal drugs( ketoconazole, griseofulvin, terbinafine, amphotericin B).

In the complex treatment of cystitis, anti-inflammatory drugs( nimesulide, meloxicam, indomethacin), if necessary, anesthetics and spasmolytics( no-shpa) are required.

If the cystitis treatment was started on time and was performed using sufficiently effective drugs, including antibiotics, then the mucosa of the bladder will soon return to normal, and the disease itself gradually recedes to complete extinction. But this, we emphasize, is possible, only if the experienced physician has been given a valid diagnosis, and the treatment was carried out with those drugs that really could have a positive effect, and not just remove the symptoms of the disease. If it is a case of acute cystitis, then it is absolutely not recommended to waste time and delay using antibacterial therapy.

In addition to taking medications, you should not forget about the additional physiomethods of cystitis treatment. Among them, UHF, ionophoresis, inductothermy can be distinguished.

Deserved attention for cystitis and herbal medicine. Herbal treatment can be practiced as a parallel to the main medication to alleviate the symptoms, and to prevent exacerbations of the chronic form of the disease. Herbs with a diuretic and antiseptic effect are used: rose hips, cranberry leaves, St. John's wort grass, herbaceous grass, bearberry. Brew in an arbitrary proportion and drink like tea.

Diet in the treatment of cystitis

For the prompt removal of infected urine with cystitis, it is necessary to drink at least 2-3 liters of fluid per day. From the diet to eliminate the acute, smoked and fatty - all that can additionally irritate the bladder and support the inflammatory process.

Cystitis in women in summer

For sure, no one would like that warm summer days and well-deserved vacation, completely ruined the cystitis.

However, there are a lot of reasons that can lead to the development of inflammation of the bladder. Among them can be identified such as:

1. Excessive bathing in cold water, which can cause hypothermia.
2. Complications in hygiene compliance related to hot weather.
3. Difficulty in observing the usual mode of urination( sometimes, before the first possible urination, it takes a very long time "to endure").
4. A sudden change in climatic conditions may adversely affect humoral and local immunity.
5. There is also a possibility of increased sexual activity, which under the above conditions can also become one of the causes of cystitis.

If during rest you are still overtaken by cystitis, you should contact the urologist as soon as possible so that he can prescribe the appropriate antibiotic therapy. It can be noted that to date, timely treatment to a doctor will help to defeat cystitis in a relatively short time, and prevent the transition of the disease to a chronic stage.

Modern antibiotics that are used in antibiotic therapy, in contrast to their earliest predecessors, have fewer side effects. One of them, relevant in the summer - the lack of phototoxicity.

Phototoxicity is a side effect of some antibiotics, which manifests itself in reddening of the skin and even in the appearance of blisters on it when ultraviolet light hits it, which the sun generously sends to us in the summer. The thing is that in some preparations there are substances possessing the properties of photoreactivities and photosensitizers. They lead to the fact that our skin can become supersensitive to sunlight. And this means that even with not very bright sunlight, a lot of free radicals appear in the skin, which lead to the destruction of skin cells, and as a consequence, to a very strong inflammation.

When appointing you for treatment during the summer, be sure to check with your doctor if the antibiotic you are prescribed has phototoxicity and if so, ask for the possibility of replacing with another antibiotic.

Complications of cystitis

The main complication of acute cystitis is its transition to a chronic form, and it happens uncompromisingly if not carried out on time. The symptoms have passed, you have calmed down, and the microbe remains, there is inflammation, and with the slightest decrease in immunity this microbe will make itself felt by exacerbations or, even worse, the pathogen will penetrate deeper or rise higher along the urinary ways and cause inflammation of the kidneys, and this is already a formidable disease, capable of changing your life for the worse and threatening kidney failure.

Prevention of cystitis in women

Useful tips to help prevent cystitis:

• Do not under any circumstances forget about personal hygiene.
• Do not allow subcooling.
• Drink more water and all kinds of juices. Cranberry juice is especially useful.
• Avoid overfilling the bladder.
• If possible, discard excessively tight pelvic clothing. It can lead to a worsening of the circulation in the pelvic region.
• If you suffer from constipation, try to increase the content of fresh( and raw) vegetables and fruits in your diet.
• Use a soap with a neutral acid-base balance in the toilet of the genitals.
• After the sexual intercourse, be sure to visit the toilet( urinate).
• Try, as often as possible, to replace hygiene pads during menstruation.