Like the stomach, the bladder is a sac-shaped organ that can contract when empty. In the absence of fluid, the bladder wall muscles shorten and thicken, keeping the bladder intact. The urinary tract from the kidneys carries urine to the bladder, causing this structure to fill with fluid. The bladder, which gradually expands with the increase in the amount of incoming fluid, produces signals to urinate when it reaches a certain limit. Bladder infections or inflammation (inflammation) are generally more common in women. The underlying reason for this situation is considered to be related to the position of the urethra, which is the structure where the urinary tract opens out of the body in women, and its shorter length.
What is Cystitis?
Cystitis is a term that means bladder inflammation. This inflammatory process is usually triggered by a bacterial urinary tract infection. It should not be forgotten that in addition to the pain and discomfort that occurs after the development of cystitis, if the disease progresses to the kidneys, it can lead to serious health problems.
Cystitis can be observed in people after exposure to various drugs, radiation (radiation) therapy or the use of irritants or catheters less frequently, except for infectious diseases. The treatment of cystitis also varies according to this underlying cause. Although many cases of cystitis have an acute (sudden) onset, bladder inflammation called interstitial cystitis is a long-term (chronic) health problem.
What are the Symptoms of Cystitis?
Many signs and symptoms may occur following the development of cystitis in a person. The symptoms of cystitis can be summarized as follows:
- Frequent urination
- Feeling the need to urinate after urination
- Purinating with a cloudy color and foul smell
- Fever that is not very high with urinary tract infection
- Blood from the urine
- Pain during sexual activity
- Feeling of fullness or pressure in the bladder
- Cramp-like cystitis pain in the back and abdomen
What Causes Cystitis?
An underlying bacterial infection is typically detected in acute cystitis cases. In addition to cystitis cases in women, the most frequently detected microorganism in cystitis cases in children is e.coli bacteria and it is considered to be responsible for approximately 75-95% of lower urinary tract infections.
In addition to infectious diseases, cystitis has different causes of cystitis classified as "non-infectious cystitis": Trauma to the bladder, excessive stretching of the bladder muscles due to frequent urinary retention, weakness of the pelvic floor muscles, autoimmune diseases in which the immune system produces antibodies against its own cells and tissues, recurrent bacterial infections, hypersensitivity in the nerves in the pelvic region or spinal cord traumas are possible for interstitial cystitis. considered among the reasons. This condition, which is usually detected in women, can be challenging both in terms of diagnosis and treatment. In interstitial cystitis, there is an inflammatory process in the muscle layers of the bladder. The discomfort can range from mild burning to severe pain. This sensation is accompanied by various urinary complaints as in other cystitis cases.
- Drug-Related Cystitis: Metabolites of chemotherapy drugs containing various active substances such as cyclophosphamide stimulate the formation of an inflammatory response in the bladder and cause the development of cystitis. it could be.
- Radiation Cystitis: Radiotherapy applied for the treatment of cancer disease can cause damage to some healthy body cells in addition to bad character cells. The rays given to the pelvic region may affect the bladder tissue, stimulate inflammation and result in the development of cystitis.
- Foreign Body Cystitis: Long-term use of instruments such as catheters It is a risk factor for bacterial infections and tissue damage. The resulting damage and infection can trigger the inflammation of this area and lead to the development of cystitis.
- Chemical Cystitis: Due to the chemicals in some personal hygiene products, it may cause irritation of the bladder tissue with allergic reactions and the development of cystitis. The use of spermicide-effective gels and diaphragms, various sprays and chemicals in the cleaning products used during bathing are among the causes of this type of cystitis.
- Cystitis Associated with Other Conditions: In addition to the mentioned types and causes of cystitis, cystitis may be detected during the course of diseases such as diabetes, kidney stones, prostate enlargement and HIV infection in some people.
How is the Diagnosis of Cystitis?
Various tests can be applied in the diagnostic approach, following the physical examination and medical history taking of the physicians after applying to health institutions with cystitis complaints. Urine tests, cystoscopy and various imaging tests are among the diagnostic tools that can be used for the diagnosis of cystitis.
Urine tests allow to determine whether there is bacteria or inflammation in the urine by examining the person's urine sample. When necessary, this urine can be cultured to determine which microorganism is the causative agent and to which drugs it is sensitive. Detection of 10 or more immune cells in midstream urine in urinalysis is a finding with diagnostic value for urinary tract infection. Detection of 100000 bacterial colonies per milliliter in cultured urine is considered important for the diagnosis of cystitis.
Cystoscopy is a diagnostic tool that allows examination of the bladder by passing a thin tube with a light source and camera through the urethra. If necessary, physicians can also collect small tissue samples from various parts of the bladder during cystoscopy with biopsy for further examinations.
Although it is not applied very often, radiological methods such as x-ray and ultrasonography Ogic examinations are among the tools that may have diagnostic value for other causes of cystitis such as structural abnormalities of the bladder or tumoral formations.
How is Cystitis Treated?
Since cystitis is usually of bacterial origin, antibiotic drugs are the first step of treatment. If an underlying infection cannot be detected, the treatment of cystitis can only be carried out by finding and eliminating the possible cause.
While deciding which of the antibiotic drugs to use, the decision is made by considering the general health status of the person, the current bacterial species and the culture results. In the first cystitis infection, recovery may occur usually within 1-2 days following the start of antibiotic therapy. The issue that people should pay attention to is that they should continue to use antibiotic drugs for as long as they were prescribed, despite the improvement. In recurrent infections, longer and stronger antibiotic treatment can be applied.
Since the underlying cause of inflammation in interstitial cystitis cases is not fully understood, there is no clear answer to the question of "how does interstitial cystitis pass". Various medications, bladder stretching procedures (such as cystitis or nerve stimulation) can be used to keep the complaints under control and to treat chronic cystitis in these cases. Various applications such as reducing coffee consumption, applying a hot water bag to the lower abdomen, avoiding tight clothing, and consuming blueberry juice can contribute to alleviating cystitis complaints.
Urinary system (kidneys and urinary tract) they are very important body structures for your general health.If you observe the symptoms that may occur in your body regarding the urinary tract, it is recommended to seek support from specialist physicians by applying to health institutions.
You can ask questions about cystitis to the expert team of Grup Florence Nightingale Hospitals. You can ask for suggestions about your You can use the contact form on our website to reach us.
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