Inflammation in the bladder is called cystitis, which can develop in both adults and children. The cause of the development of the disease may be infections or other provoking factors. The disease is treated depending on the type, as well as the cause. Consider the features of the diagnosis of cystitis, how the disease proceeds in adults and children, how it is treated and what preventive measures exist.
What is cystitis?
This disease is the most common among the pathologies of the bladder and urinary tract. Most often it occurs in women (80%), since they have a shorter urethra than men and infections easily enter the genitourinary system and cause inflammation. According to statistics, every fourth woman has had cystitis at least once in her life, and every tenth woman has a chronic form of this disease. For men, thispathology is rare, and only 0.5% of them are chronic.
A woman's body is faced with hormonal changes every month. As a result, there is a decrease in local immunity, which can provoke the development of pathology. That is why doctors pay close attention to the diagnosis of cystitis in women. This disease also occurs during the period of bearing a baby. According to statistics, every tenth expectant mother is diagnosed with it.
Causes of occurrence
Before proceeding to the diagnosis of cystitis, it is worth understanding the root causes of the development of pathology.
Causes of cystitis in children and adults:
- Infections. Pathogenic microorganisms that enter the urinary tract most often become the causes of inflammation. Infections can get from the anus or vagina, less often from the kidneys. The infection can also enter the bladder with the blood stream (hematogenous route). For example, this happens when there is a focus of infection in the body (caries, tonsillitis).
- Anatomical features of the structure of the organ. In some children, the urinary tract may have anatomical features or not fully perform its functions, which may contribute to the development of cystitis.
- Hypothermia. Severe freezing can lead to cystitis, most commonly in women and children.
- Medication taking. Some medications can cause inflammation of the bladder as a side effect. This is a group of cytostatic drugs,used in malignant neoplasms. The pathology is called drug-induced cystitis.
- Allergy. In a small number of women, cystitis is a reaction of the body to local exposure to some kind of allergen.
In addition to the main causes of cystitis, doctors also determine a number of factors that may contribute to the development of pathology. These are synthetic tight underwear, unprotected intercourse or frequent change of sexual partners, bowel disease (constipation or diarrhea), kidney disease and hormonal failure.
Classification
Diagnosis and treatment of cystitis depend primarily on its form. Pathology can be primary and secondary. In the first case, the disease is caused by infections that have entered the urinary tract, in the second case, cystitis is the result of a malfunction in the functioning of some organ or the spread of infection throughout the body. In children, secondary cystitis may develop against the background of incomplete emptying of the bladder, which may be caused by the anatomical features of the structure of the organ.
Also, the disease can be infectious or non-infectious. In the first case, it may manifest itself specifically or not specifically. The second option can be caused by thermal, chemical, toxic, allergic or medicinal factors.
Depending on how the pathology proceeds, it can be acute or chronic. The acute form has pronounced symptoms, while the chronic form has symptoms that either manifest themselves or decrease. In children, acute cystitis is accompanied by inflammation of the mucous andsubmucosal layers, chronic can modify the muscle layer and be gangrenous, necrotic, polypous, granular or bullous.
Also, cystitis in children, depending on the place of distribution, can be divided into focal and total (diffuse). With cervical cystitis, the neck of the bladder also becomes inflamed, tritogonitis occurs during an inflammatory process in the region of Lieto's triangle.
Symptomatics
The development of cystitis is accompanied by certain symptoms, regardless of gender, as well as the age of the person.
How cystitis manifests itself:
- Itching and burning when going to the toilet. They are most common and indicate the presence of infectious or allergic cystitis.
- Pain in the lower abdomen. Only 10% of patients may not have this symptom, but rarely does anyone pay attention to minor discomfort, although pain can radiate to the back.
- Fever, headache and fatigue.
- Blood in urine. The symptom is rare, more often in men and indicates a viral cause of the development of the disease. The form of the pathology can be acute and complicated (in this case, doctors recommend differential diagnosis of cystitis in order to distinguish the disease from another pathology).
How to recognize illness in children
The symptoms of cystitis are the same in both children and adults. The only difference is that the baby still cannot describe the nature of the pain. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the diagnosis of cystitis in children.
To begin with, it is worth noting that it can provoke a pathology in a child. Most often it occurs against the background of the spread of infection in the urinary tract. Only in 5% of children, cystitis may be the result of SARS.
Under the age of six months, cystitis is most common in boys, which may indicate possible anomalies in the development of the urinary tract. Between the ages of 2 and 15, girls are 10 times more likely to get sick.
How does cystitis manifest in a child:
- frequent and painful urination;
- urinary incontinence (enuresis);
- cloudy or too dark urine;
- increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees (observed with pyelonephritis);
- vomiting, loose stools and pain in the lower abdomen.
In newborns, pathology can be manifested by malaise, moodiness, irritability and impaired appetite. There may also be puffiness of the upper and lower extremities or bags under the eyes.
Diagnosis of cystitis: tests
To recognize the disease and make a clear diagnosis, a series of tests are carried out. Be sure to take a general urine test, bacteriological culture, which helps to identify the causative agent of inflammation and identify sensitivity to a certain group of antibiotics. In rare cases, a polymerase chain reaction is performed and the microflora of the genital organs is examined. Cytoscopy and biopsy are performed only when indicated.
Can also be heldultrasound examination of the pelvic organs and abdominal cavity. Most often, it is prescribed for the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis, a diagnosis that has appeared relatively recently in the international classification of diseases. It is characterized by frequent urination and intense pain.
In rare cases, a Parsons test (or potassium test) is prescribed, as well as cystometry. With the help of the latest study, the capacity of the bladder is measured. For this, gas or a special liquid is used, which fills the bladder. This procedure is not mandatory, but often it is it that allows you to accurately determine the pathology and make a diagnosis.
To determine the disease, a general urine test for a child, a bacteriological examination (culture) or a urine test according to Nechiporenko is prescribed. The most informative is sowing, since with it you can clearly identify the pathogenic bacteria that led to the pathology, and prescribe the appropriate treatment. Blood chemistry or abdominal ultrasound, x-rays or scintigraphy (radioisotope examination of the kidneys) may be needed.
Treatment of cystitis in adults
With severe symptoms, drugs are prescribed that relieve spasm of the bladder, as well as painkillers. The main thing in the treatment of pathology is the use of antibacterial drugs with a wide spectrum of action. But here you need to take into account sensitivity, that is, prescribe medications only after the bakposev.
If during diagnosticscystitis, fungi or viruses were identified as causative agents of inflammation, antifungal and antiviral drugs are prescribed, respectively. In general, the treatment of acute cystitis takes no more than 12 days.
The chronic form of the disease is treated longer, and the therapy is aimed at restoring the normal functionality of the organ. Most often, homeopathic medicines based on medicinal plants are prescribed.
If cystitis is a minor disease, research and treatment of concomitant pathology is carried out. First of all, a visit to the dentist and a complete sanitation of the oral cavity are required. Recommended treatment of chronic tonsillitis by an ENT doctor, which can lead to the development of an inflammatory process in the urinary tract.
How to treat cystitis in children?
When diagnosing cystitis in a child, he is shown rest and, if possible, bed rest. To relieve spasm, you can put a warm towel on the bladder area. Baths of decoctions of herbs will also be useful. The temperature of the water in which the baby will sit should not exceed +37.5 ° С.
Also, children are advised to follow a diet, exclude irritating foods, drink more fluids, including fruit drinks and compotes. The more the child drinks, the faster the pathogenic bacteria will be flushed out of the bladder.
In children, cystitis is also treated with medication. This can be herbal medicine, taking antispasmodics, antibacterial agents and uroantiseptics. The course of treatment lasts up to seven days.
Complication
When chronic cystitis is diagnosed and left untreated, complications may develop. The inflammatory process can spread beyond the bladder area or lead to disturbances in its work.
Among the most common pathologies, pyelonephritis may develop, that is, inflammation of the kidneys, when antibiotics are indispensable.
Prevention
Special attention should be paid to the prevention of cystitis, especially for women. What to do to avoid cystitis?
- When using toilet paper after going to the toilet, you need to carefully move from the entrance to the urethra to the anus, and not vice versa.
- Take care of your personal hygiene.
- Observe drinking regimen.
- Avoid hypothermia.
- Periodic urinalysis for prevention, regardless of the disease.
