Often, men are diagnosed with a pathology characterized by inflammation of the urethral mucosa. This disease is bacterial urethritis. True, this disease sometimes appears in women. In the absence of timely and correct treatment, this pathology can cause many serious abnormalities in the body.
Etiology
The occurrence of bacterial urethritis is provoked by microbes. In the body of each person there are bacteria, which are conditionally pathogenic microflora. Under normal conditions, the presence of these microorganisms does not entail any disease or inflammation. But with a decrease in the protective functions of the body and weakening of the immune system, these bacteria begin to multiply intensively. As a result, the immune system becomes unable to fight a large number of pathogens, against which various diseases appear.
Bacteria entering the body from the outside can provoke the occurrence of pathologies. Most often this happens during unprotected intercourse. These bacteria include gonococci, chlamydia, andTrichomonas.
Given the type of pathogen that caused the development of inflammation, the pathology is classified into several types.
- Non-specific bacterial urethritis. It occurs as a result of an increase in the number of microorganisms that were present in the body before.
- Specific urethritis. Its causative agents are microorganisms that enter the body during sexual contact.
- Mixed urethritis. It is a combination of the two described conditions.
In addition, the disease is divided, depending on the type of spread:
- primary view - pathogenic microflora enters the body from the outside;
- secondary type - occurs due to the movement of bacteria from another focus of inflammation.
Reasons
There are many factors that increase the risk of bacterial development:
- foci of inflammation located in other organs;
- caries;
- alcohol abuse;
- too much exercise or stress;
- excessive consumption of s alty, spicy, pickled foods;
- mechanical trauma to the urethral mucosa during cystoscopy or catheterization;
- congenital malformations of the urethra.
But regardless of the initial causes of urethritis, it is very important to identify the pathology in time and immediately begin appropriate treatment.
Symptomatics
First signs of illnessappear about a week after infection. The most common symptoms of bacterial urethritis are:
- itching in the groin and genitals;
- pain and discomfort during intimacy due to increased susceptibility;
- abnormal smelly discharge;
- presence of blood impurities in urine and semen;
- redness at the exit of the urethra to the outside;
- burning and pain when emptying the bladder.
Very rarely, the pathology is asymptomatic, which greatly complicates the diagnosis. In this case, laboratory tests are required to confirm the diagnosis.
Signs in men
The manifestations of pathology are slightly different in the representatives of the stronger and weaker sex. So, the characteristic symptoms of bacterial urethritis in men are:
- pain, burning while urinating;
- Regular urge to urinate with minimal urine output;
- redness and itching on the head of the penis;
- discharge with an unpleasant odor, indicating the development of a specific disease;
- difficulty urinating due to narrowing of the canal;
- discomfort and even pain during intimacy;
- decrease in overall tone, the appearance of lethargy, drowsiness, fatigue;
- sometimes fever.
WhenIf you experience these symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. Usually bacterial urethritis in men makes itself felt very quickly. Unpleasant symptoms appear, as a rule, 1-2 weeks after infection.
Symptoms in women
In the early stages of the development of the disease in the fairer sex, it is almost impossible to detect it. This is due to the later onset of the first signs of the disease after the incubation period, which sometimes lasts several months.
The first symptoms of bacterial urethritis in women are most often:
- pain during urination, which can be cutting;
- Vaginal discharge of mucus with a very unpleasant odor;
- changing the shade of urine, the appearance of impurities in it.
All these signs are complemented by general manifestations of the disease.
Due to the structure of the genitourinary system, bacterial urethritis is less pronounced in women than in men.
Diagnosis
After the first symptoms of bacterial urethritis appear, you should immediately contact a urologist. Sometimes consultation with a dermatologist and venereologist is also required. Usually, this refers to a specific bacterial urethritis.
To confirm a suspected diagnosis, just examining a patient is not enough, especially when it comes to an asymptomatic course of the disease. Therefore, first of all, a urine test is prescribed, which is necessary to identifyan increased content of leukocytes, indicating the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. Urine collection should be done in the morning, immediately after waking up.
The following diagnostic methods are used as auxiliary diagnostic methods:
- ureteroscopy;
- three-glass sample;
- urinalysis according to Nechiporenko;
- PCR abnormal discharge.
If too much protein and white blood cells are found in the urine, we can talk about the diagnosis of "bacterial urethritis".
A mandatory method of examination in this case is a swab taken from the urethra. One day before the planned procedure, sexual intercourse should be excluded. And 2 hours before the diagnosis, you must stop urinating.
Additionally, ultrasound of the urethra or other organs of the reproductive system may be needed.
General principles for the treatment of bacterial urethritis
Patients who are diagnosed with this condition are recommended to be treated on an outpatient basis. To get a good result, it is very important to follow all the doctor's instructions exactly. Yes, there are some rules to follow. It is forbidden to drink alcohol even in minimal quantities, skip medical procedures and medications, and you should also temporarily give up sexual activity.
Correction of the daily menu is considered important. It is necessary to exclude pickled, spicy and smoked foods from the diet. And in return, you need to drink as much liquid as possible.
When specific andnonspecific bacterial urethritis in women and men is always carried out complex treatment. It should include immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial therapy, and in some cases, physiotherapy.
The use of antibiotics alone, especially self-administered ones, certainly will not bring a positive result. After all, most modern people have resistance to many antibacterial drugs. That is why self-treatment of urethritis is very dangerous.
Recovery time depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. But most often, the treatment of bacterial urethritis in men and women takes about 1-2 weeks. After therapy, control tests are mandatory. For the entire period of treatment, sexual rest is indicated.
Drug therapy
Treatment of bacterial urethritis in both women and men involves the use of certain medications. Drug therapy is aimed primarily at the suppression of pathogenic microflora. After determining the type of bacteria and the initial causes of the disease, the doctor prescribes the appropriate drugs to the patient.
First of all, antiseptics for external use are prescribed:
- "Miramistin".
- "Protargol".
- "Furacilin".
Preparations based on silver nitrate are considered very effective in the fight against pathogenic bacteria. Such remedies perfectly eliminate pain and itching. They are used to flush the urethra through instillation.
Notless effective in the treatment of nonspecific bacterial urethritis in men and women are herbal remedies based on herbs:
- "Canephron".
- "Fitozolin".
Antibiotics are also prescribed for complex therapy. They are selected, depending on the type of pathogen that is detected by diagnostics. Most commonly used:
- macrolides - "Azithromycin" and "Erythromycin";
- tetracyclines - "Tetracycline" and "Doxycycline";
- cephalosporins - "Cefazolin" and "Ceftriaxone";
- fluoroquinolones - "Abactal" and "Levofloxacin";
- sulfonamides.
In fact, doctors are trying to prescribe drugs with a wide spectrum of action. Often, drugs intended for intramuscular and intravenous administration are prescribed:
- for diseases caused by Trichomonas, Metrogil and Trichopolum are used;
- if urethritis appeared due to gonorrhea, preference is given to macrolides "Sumamed" and "Azithromycin";
- Fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines are prescribed to fight chlamydia.
If the disease is already diagnosed at an advanced stage, it is advisable to use Monural, which can stop inflammation in just a couple of days.
Duration of antibiotic use should not exceed 10 days. At the same time, it is extremely important to useprobiotics that will stabilize the intestinal microflora. For this purpose, it is best to use:
- "Bifidumbacterin".
- "Laktovit".
- "Lineks".
It is advisable to use as auxiliary means:
- antihistamines to eliminate itching and swelling - Tavegil and Suprastin;
- vitamin complexes and immunostimulants for immunity restoration and tissue regeneration of the urethral mucosa - "Duovit", "Timalin", "Gepon";
- physiotherapy activities - UHF, magnetotherapy, electrophoresis.
Effectiveness of drug therapy
Timely treatment of pathology with the help of pharmaceutical preparations gives positive forecasts of recovery. According to statistics, almost 100% of patients diagnosed with bacterial urethritis, who underwent the appropriate course of drug therapy, completely got rid of the disease.
Sometimes there is a relapse, which usually appears about 3 months after treatment. That is why it is so important to systematically take tests for research during all this time. It is recommended to collect urine and blood for STIs, take a swab from the urethra.
Alternative Medicine
As an addition to medicines, you can use folk remedies, after consulting with a specialist in advance. Such recipes have long been used to treat bacterial urethritis in men and women.
- Currant tincture. Poura glass of dried leaves with two glasses of hot water and leave to infuse for an hour. Ready tincture should be drunk in half a glass before meals. This medicine has a diuretic, antibacterial and immunomodulatory effect. In addition, it is recommended to eat currant berries instead of dessert.
- Cowberry decoction. Pour 2 tablespoons of leaves with a liter of hot water, boil for 5 minutes and leave to infuse for 2-3 hours. Strain the finished product and divide into 4 equal portions - you need to drink them throughout one day. This decoction has a diuretic effect.
- Decoction based on creeping wheatgrass. Pour 2 tablespoons of crushed roots with a glass of hot water. Leave to infuse for 12 hours, then strain. Then add another glass of boiling water and leave for another 10 minutes. This decoction should be taken half a glass before meals for a week.
- Linden decoction. Pour a tablespoon of dried flowers with a glass of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes and leave aside for half an hour. Strain and take before bed. Such a medicine will help reduce the intensity of pain and other unpleasant manifestations of bacterial urethritis.
Prevention
To prevent the development of such an unpleasant disease, one should refrain from unprotected sexual intercourse, as well as regularly visit doctors: for women - a gynecologist, and for men - a venereologist. The use of condoms significantly reduces the risk of contracting urethritis.
Other preventive measures include:
- avoidancesevere hypothermia;
- timely treatment of infectious pathologies;
- no alcohol;
- keeping a balanced menu;
- avoiding psychological pressure and severe stress;
- timely treatment of heart and kidney defects;
- observance of simple rules of personal hygiene.
If you follow these simple recommendations, the risk of bacterial urethritis in both women and men decreases significantly.
