The bladder is a muscular bag that stores urine from the kidneys. Urine leaves the body through a tube called the urethra. Cystitis occurs when bacteria travel up the urethra, infect the urine and inflame the bladder lining.
Most women will experience cystitis at least once in their lives. A kidney infection is serious and needs prompt medical attention as it can cause kidney damage or even kidney failure.
The earliest symptom of cystitis is usually a faint prickling feeling on passing urine. It is possible to get rid of mild cystitis if you take action immediately.
Some suggestions include:. Your GP will probably test your urine to check which micro-organism is present. Cystitis can be treated with a course or more than one course of antibiotics. Regular or severe attacks of cystitis need to be investigated by a GP, because an underlying disorder such as kidney stones or a kidney infection could be the trigger. The most common bug or bacterium causing urinary tract infection is Escherichia coli E.
Under normal conditions, it is harmless. However, E. Women in their late teens and older are most susceptible to cystitis, especially if they are sexually active.
The female urethra is only 4 cm long, which gives bacteria easy access to the bladder. Female sex hormones influence the vaginal secretions that affect the ability of bacteria to survive. This makes women more susceptible to infection:. Men tend to get cystitis later in life. Where trouble with urine flow is a symptom, this may indicate that the underlying cause is a problem with their prostate gland.
For a good number of patients with Interstitial Cystitis, the cause of the damage to the lining of the bladder is a chronic exposure to low grade Urinary Tract Infections UTI for many years, at some time in the past.
This urge to pee is the bodies way of trying to dispel these pathogens as quickly and regularly as possible. Damage to the muscle cells that control the release of urine may lead to difficulty passing the urine. IC causes pelvic floor muscles to tighten. Therefore, making it harder to relax enough to pee. To top it all off, Interstitial Cystitis patients tend to feel anxiety about bathroom breaks, giving them a form of shy bladder.
Despite how often they urinate, Interstitial Cystitis patients often feel like their bladder is never empty. For some, this could be because of tight pelvic floor muscles making it hard for the bladder to contract and get out the last bit of urine. Here are some other clues you might have a problem with your pelvic floor.
Bladder tightness or compression are often described as the feeling associated with a constantly full bladder. Other things that may help include: Avoiding foods and fluids that irritate the bladder.
These include spicy and acidic foods as well as alcohol, citrus juices, and caffeine, and foods that contain them. Performing bladder training exercises to help you schedule times to try to urinate and to delay urination at all other times.
One method is to force yourself to delay urinating despite the urge to urinate in between these times. As you become better at waiting this long, slowly increase the time intervals by 15 minutes. Try to reach a goal of urinating every 3 to 4 hours. Avoid pelvic muscle strengthening exercises called Kegel exercises. Outlook Prognosis. Possible Complications. Complications may include: Ulceration of bladder wall Painful sex Sleep loss Depression. When to Contact a Medical Professional.
Call your health care provider if: You have symptoms of cystitis You have been diagnosed with cystitis and your symptoms get worse, or you have new symptoms, especially fever , blood in the urine, back or flank pain , and vomiting. IC is a chronic inflammatory condition of the bladder lining that causes pain and pressure in the pelvic area around the bladder.
According to Lisa Hawes, M. With IC, women may also experience pain during sexual intercourse, another symptom not commonly associated with a UTI. Some women, however, experience frequent UTIs that require more investigation. If recurrent UTIs are a problem, your doctor will perform a thorough pelvic exam to ensure nothing in the vagina or bladder is causing infection, and may also order diagnostic tests such as an ultrasound, CT scan, cystoscopy or urine culture.
Diagnosing IC is often more difficult. What women often find frustrating about this condition is that no exact cause has been pinpointed; however many IC patients may also have other health conditions such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, endometriosis, and pelvic floor dysfunction. Your doctor will begin testing for other conditions that cause the same symptoms and come to a diagnosis of IC once other causes are ruled out.
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