Cystitis (from Greek. kytis — “bladder”) is a disease characterized by an infectious and inflammatory process affecting the wall of the bladder.
Cystitis is one of the most common in the field of urology. Every year, about 30 million episodes of it are registered in Russia alone, while the pathology is most often detected in women, which is associated with the peculiarities of the structure of the female urinary system (from 20 to 40 percent of the female population of the planet have encountered this disease throughout their lives). In men, cystitis is diagnosed quite rarely (about 0.5% of cases).
Types of cystitis
Cystitis is classified into primary and secondary. Primary cystitis is an independent pathology and develops directly in the bladder, secondary serves as a complication of various diseases of the genitourinary tract. Acute and chronic forms of cystitis are also distinguished: acute is characterized by inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bladder, chronic is characterized by a deep lesion of the epithelium with the formation of various infiltrates in its wall. Depending on the nature of the occurrence, a non-infectious disease is distinguished (it is a response to various irritations of the mucous membrane of the bladder) and an infectious nature (their causative agents are trichomonas, pale treponemas, chlamydia, ureaplasmas and other microorganisms).
The most common is the so—called recurrent inflammation of the bladder – a condition in which a person who has once had cystitis is constantly faced with its exacerbations.
Factors provoking cystitis
the presence of inflammatory diseases (adnexitis, endometritis, prostatitis, vesiculitis, etc.)
hypothermia of the body
drinking alcohol and spicy food
taking certain medications
re-infection (for example, during catheterization of the bladder or during surgical operations)
increased load on
the bladder bladder injuries
Prevention of cystitis
For the full functioning of the bladder, it is necessary to drink a sufficient amount of liquid daily (at least 2-2.5 liters). In addition, it is necessary to empty the bladder in a timely manner, and, most importantly, completely, without forgetting to observe the rules of personal hygiene.
Complications of cystitis
It should be noted that cystitis is very dangerous with its complications: with a prolonged inflammatory process and lack of adequate treatment, the disease can cause the development of serious and often irreversible pathologies. So, a fairly common consequence of cystitis is pyelonephritis — inflammation of the kidney tissue, which significantly disrupts their functions. A serious complication of cystitis is also the interstitial form of the disease, in which there is a spread of the inflammatory process over the entire surface and thickness of the bladder. At the same time, the disease penetrates into its muscle wall, leads to scarring, loss of tissue elasticity and a progressive decrease in the volume of the affected organ. Such a condition is practically untreatable and leads to persistent disability of a person.
