Regent Medical Centre
www.regentmedicalcentre.co.uk 22nd May 2013

Cystitis

Also known as a water infection, a kidney infection, pyelitis, pyelonephritis or a urinary tract infection (UTI)
The problem with medicine is that there may be several words or phrases for the same illness. So it is with CYSTITIS. Cystitis really means an infection or inflammation of the bladder.

Symptoms
 
  • low central abdominal pain
  • pain on passing urine
  • pain after passing urine
  • going more often to the loo to pass urine
  • passing blood in the urine.

    • Causes
      A UTI is due to germs entering the urinary tract. The most common route is up through the urethra and into the bladder. The most usual germs are those found in the bowel which spread to the groins and then up the urethra. So a UTI is much more common in women because the urethra is much shorter and closer to these germs.
    It is not known why some women get repeated cystitis and others do not. Frequent intercourse, especially with a new partner, can cause cystitis so-called honeymoon cystitis

    Treatment
      Antibiotics are usually used to treat a proven UTI. The most common one is Trimethoprim, followed by Amoxycillin and Ciprofloxacin. In recent years there has been much discussion on how long to treat a patient for a UTI. Some researchers say 7 days, other say you can cure someone in 3 days. This decision will be made by your Doctor and take into account how often you have had a UTI in the past and whether it responded well to the treatment on the previous occasion. There are other ways to treat a UTI, especially when the UTI is just starting. Some people will say, if you catch the symptoms early, you can ward off the UTI. The remedies include drinking plenty of water to ensure a good flow of urine, drinking cranberry juice and drinking a drink made from fruit juice with a teaspoonful of baking powder two or three times a day.

    Prevention
      Women who get UTIs frequently can prevent them occurring by washing once or twice a day the perianal and labial areas to keep the germs at bay.
    Drinking will help keep the urine flowing; the normal amount to drunk per day is about 2-3 litres (4-6 pints of fluid)

    Recommended web sites
      Cystitis

    A very useful leaflet from Patient UK

    COB Foundation

    The Cystisis and Overactive Bladder Foundation website - support and information
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