Cystitis
Cystitis is a problem that can occur once and acutely, but can also recur regularly or become chronic.
The symptoms of a bladder infection can be: pain when urinating, continuous urgency, frequent and small urination, the urine may look cloudy or smell unpleasant or there may be blood in the urine. Sometimes there is only a vague pain in the lower abdomen, in which the intestines also become sensitive.
When there is a fever and pain in the side, you may be looking at a kidney infection. Urinary tract infections are more common in women because they have a shorter urethra. Urinary tract infections are less common in men, but they can quickly become very ill, with high fever and chills and possibly sepsis. The prostate or epididymis may also be inflamed.
The diagnosis can be made by collecting the middle part of the first morning urine in a clean urine cup. This should preferably be examined within two hours or can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours for examination.
First, the urine is examined with a urine stick. In case of uncertainty, the urine can be cultured for a short time or sent to the laboratory for the determination of the type of bacteria and the type of antibiotic to which it is sensitive.
A bladder infection can sometimes heal on its own within a few days. Cranberries can help with urinary tract infections caused by the E. coli bacteria, which is the case in 85% of urinary tract infections. The highest dose of cranberries is in tablets, which should be taken twice a day. It has not been proven that vitamin C would help.
Cold or drafts do not cause cystitis and you cannot get cystitis from using a toilet. Often it is the own intestinal bacteria that enter the urethra.
When the infection is severe or does not heal quickly, antibiotic treatment is necessary. Treatment is important, as recurrent bladder infections can cause damage to the kidneys.
Many types of antibiotics are available. It remains to consider for each patient which type is best tolerated and how long antibiotics should be taken. Unfortunately, in recent years there has been an increase in resistance of the bacteria. The E. coli in particular can remain in the bladder wall and at times, when resistance is lower, strike and cause another bladder infection.
Risk factors of a bladder infection are: drinking little, so that the bacteria are not flushed away properly, sexual contact in which bacteria end up in and around the urethra, further a prolapse of the uterus or bladder in the woman or reduced estrogen after menopause.
It is therefore recommended to drink at least two liters of water per day and to urinate after sexual contact. It is important to go to the toilet on time and not to delay it and to empty the bladder completely. If necessary, cranberries can be taken in case of recurring infections or treated locally with estrogen cream; one can also take one tablet of antibiotics preventively after sexual contact or take a maintenance dose with a low dose of antibiotics for several months to eliminate the bacteria.
