In medicine, cystitis refers to inflammation and irritation of the lining of the urinary system organ called the bladder. Often, the inflammation in cystitis is accompanied by an infectious process, caused by an intestinal bacteria, which is ' Escherichia coli ' (although it can sometimes be caused by other gram-negative bacteria) which, if not treated in time, can be harmful to the kidneys if the infection spreads. It is diagnosed with a urinalysis. If you want to know if there is a bacteria and what it is, to attack it with specific drugs, a urine culture is performed.
Less commonly, cystitis can occur in reaction to certain medications, radiation therapy, or potential irritants, such as feminine hygiene sprays, spermicidal jellies, or long-term use of a catheter. Cystitis can also occur as a complication of another underlying disease.
Cystitis comes from numerous microorganisms that can infect the urinary tract and cause cystitis, although the most common are gram-negative bacilli. The most common etiological agent is the intestinal bacillus Escherichia coli, responsible for 80% of acute infections. The remaining 20% includes microorganisms such as Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella sp., Streptococcus faecalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
In most cases, the cause is a single germ (E. coli) and in 5% of the infections they are polymicrobial, and the associations that occur most frequently in these cases are E. coli and P. mirabilis in the 60% of the cases, and E. coli with enterococci in the remaining percentage.
During pregnancy, the agents that cause infection are the same as those found in non-pregnant women; however, Enterococcus sp, Gardnerella vaginalis, and Ureaplasma urealyticum can be detected to a lesser extent. In the case of complicated infections, E. coli remains the main causative agent.
Among the most frequent symptoms we have:
- Dysuria or painful and incomplete urination of urine. It is a very annoying symptom described by the patient as burning or pain at the beginning or end of the voiding stream.
- Polaquuria or increase in the number of urinations.
- They often refer to the need to urinate on multiple occasions, but with little amount.
- Tenesmus or feeling to urinate, even with a small amount of urine in the bladder. It is associated with the desire to continue due to incomplete emptying of the bladder.
- Pain just above the pubic bone. It becomes clear especially when the doctor examines this area, causing pain under pressure.
- Cloudy urine with an unpleasant odor.
- Hematuria or presence of blood in the urine. It appears in approximately 30% of cases. It is not always seen in the urine content, but it is generally more common to visualize it when cleaning the area.
- Uncomplicated cystitis usually does not have a fever; When it does appear, a higher infection, such as acute pyelonephritis, should be suspected.
