Cystitis

 More than 6 million medical visits each year in the United States are because of cystitis. Cystitis is the inflammation of the bladder. With this problem it can be seen in both men and women, but for the most part it is more common to see it in women. The main reason that it is more common among women then in men is because of the length of the urethras. In women the urethra is a lot shorter than in men so the shorter distance makes it easier for the organisms to travel into the bladder by using the urethra as a type of ladder. The thing about cystitis is that there are many different types of cystitis and with the different types there comes to be very different causes. Here is a closer look at the different types of cystitis:

• Hemorrhagic cystitis - this is most often seen in cancer patients as type of complication from therapy. This type of cystitis is the inflammation of the bladder leading to hemorrhage. 
  
• Radiation cystitis - another form of cystitis that is most often seen in people who are being treated for cancer. This type usually occurs in people who are undergoing radiation as a form of treatment.
  
• Eosinophilic cystitis - this is a rare form of cystitis and it can only be diagnosed through a biopsy. This type of cystitis is when the bladder wall is infiltrated with a really high number of eosinophils. Although the cause of this problem is actually unknown it is considered by many to be a form of interstitial cystitis.
  
• Interstitial cystitis - also referred to as IC. This is more of an injury to the bladder that ends up causing constant irritation; this type hardly ever involves the presence of infection. The biggest problem with this type of cystitis is that people who are suffering from it are often misdiagnosed for years with urinary tract infections even though the cultures always turn up negative. Many people suspect that the main cause of this condition is when the immune system attacks the bladder. The good news is that there are actually several types of therapies available to help people treat it.
  
• Bacterial cystitis - this is actually the most common type of cystitis that people suffer from. This type is also referred to as a urinary tract infection. This type of cystitis is most often caused by coliform bacteria being transferred from the bowel through the urethra and into the bladder.

When it comes to bacterial cystitis it seems that some people suffer from it more than others, meaning that they are prone to getting cystitis. But that doesn't mean that it can't happen to you. Cystitis frequently affects sexually active women who are between the ages of 20 to 50, but it can affect men, children and other women. With bacterial cystitis more than 85% of the cases are caused by Escherichia coli, which is a bacterium that is found in the lower gastrointestinal tract. There are also other actors that play a big role in bacterial cystitis which are:

• Sex - the female urethra is more likely to have colonization of the bacteria because of its close location to the anus, but also because of its short length and its termination inside of the labia. It is believed that friction during intercourse can cause minor inflammation of the urethra which makes it predisposed to infection or bacteria can even be moved into the urethra during sexual intercourse.
  
• Pregnancy - women who are pregnant can be more likely to get an infection due to the hormonal changes that they are going through that results in the dilation and reduction in tone of the ureters.
  
• Diabetes - people with this disease or with high consumption of sugars are predisposed to cystitis
  

•  Chemical factors - certain antibacterial soaps, sprays, douches, feminine deodorants, contraceptive jellies and creams can change the vaginal environment which can cause irritation and make the tissue more susceptible to infection
  
• Retention of Urine - certain conditions such as uterine malpositions can result in the retention of urine which can increase your risk of infection
  
• Hormonal Changes - oral contraceptives can cause infections in some people
  
• Antibiotics - if you tend to overuse these potentially life saving drugs you can make bacteria resistant to them which can lead to cystitis
  
• Stress - this can result in the production of various hormones that end up reducing the circulating white blood cell counts and help to increase the chances of infection. In fact many people who suffer from recurring infections can relate stress to the first sign of symptoms.

Now that you know some of the risk factors that make you more likely to suffer from bacterial cystitis you should learn about the various symptoms that trigger the onset of the infection. It is important to know about the various symptoms of bacterial cystitis because in some cases if you can treat the early symptoms soon enough you can eliminate the need for medicine. Here is a look at the various symptoms of bacterial cystitis:

• Frequent and urgent need to urinate
  
• A painful burning sensation upon urination
  
• Lower back pain, lower abdominal pain, or even pelvic pressure
  
• Mild fever of 101 degrees or less and sometimes this is accompanied with chills
  
• Cloudy or blood tinged urine

For the most part just the main symptoms of frequent urination that is associated with the burning or pressure sensation is more than enough to determine that you have a bacterial cystitis infection. But because of the fact that other problems can present the same as bacterial cystitis infection so anything other than a simple case of cystitis should be checked out by a doctor. If the doctor determines that you have bacterial cystitis through a urine culture then you are going to need to go through treatment. The most common form of treatment for bacterial cystitis is antibiotics, but how those are administered is going to depend on the type of infection and your doctor.

When it comes to treating cystitis your doctor might prescribe a single dose of antibiotics or a three day course of them. The reason for this is that more often than not these shorter doses are sufficient enough to get rid of the infection and they are fewer side effects associated with them. Not to mention that they end up being cheaper than the longer courses of treatment. But in some cases, men, children, pregnant women, and the elderly, will receive the longer course of treatment because of various reasons such as with men the prostate might be involved and with pregnant women or the elderly there might be an upper urinary tract infection which requires the longer doses of medication to be successfully treated.

 In addition to medication there are also numerous home remedies that you can try to help get rid of cystitis if you catch the symptoms early enough. Many people find that increasing the amount of fluids that they are drinking can help to flush the bacteria out of the bladder. But other people find that drinking cranberry juice at the onset of symptoms can help prevent a full blown bladder infection.  Although these methods can work if you catch the symptoms early enough that still doesn't mean you shouldn't seek out medical attention.

If you are in the 10 to 20 percent of people who have suffered from bacterial cystitis you probably do not want to have it again. But the truth of the matter is that out of this 10 to 20 percent of people who have suffered from bacterial cystitis one time 80 percent of them are going to suffer from it at least one more time. But the good news is that there are some things that you can do to help prevent the recurrence or even the first onset of bacterial cystitis. Here are some things that you can do to prevent it:

• Keep the genital area clean. Remember to always wipe from front to back. This actually reduces the chance of introducing bacteria from the rectal area into the urethra
  
• Increase your intake of fluids because this will allow frequent urination which can help to flush bacteria from the bladder
  
• Use tampons instead of pads and change the tampons every three to four hours. The reason for this is that the pads can encourage fecal bacteria to grow and then cause it to be rubbed against the urinary outlet and then invade the bladder causing an infection.
  
• Wear cotton undergarments because they allow air circulation which discourages the growth of bacteria. If you are wearing nylon pantyhose make sure that it has a cotton crotch.
  
• Do not wear tight clothes in the genital area and avoid wearing a wet bathing suit for an extended period of time.
  
• Urinate right after sexual intercourse because it can get rid of any bacteria that might have been introduced during intercourse
  
• Make sure that you do not hold in your urine for a long period of time. Doing this can allow the bacteria time to multiply. So by going frequently if you are prone to urinary tract infections you can reduce the risk of getting one
  
• Drinking cranberry juice helps to prevent certain types of bacteria from attaching to the wall of the bladder which will lessen your chance of infection. You can also take cranberry extract tablets to help prevent cystitis and you get to avoid the taste of cranberry juice.