Some of the symptoms are; hematuria, frequent urination, dysuria, spasms of the bladder, nocturia, nausea/vomiting, fever, chills, tenderness of the bladder area, flank pain, oliguria, and foul smelling urine. Symptoms for pyelonephritis are similar but are more severe and may cause long term side effects. Cystitis occurs in the bladder or the urethra, but if the infection spreads, the kidney can suffer damages as well. Women are more likely to develop cystitis than men are but men can get it also. To diagnose cystitis doctors will ask the patients a list of questions regarding their symptoms and do a urinalysis and or a urine culture. A urinalysis is done to look for white blood cells, red blood cells, bacteria, and to check for certain chemicals such as nitrites in the urine. A urine culture is a clean catch urine sample which means the patient is to use a medicated wipe to clean the head of the penis or the area between the vagina “lips” (labia) to provide a non-contaminated midstream urine sample. With that sample the physician is able identify what bacteria is in the urine and what antibiotic can be used to kill the growing bacteria. Treatment for cystitis caused by bacteria is …show more content…
It’s important to contact your doctor if the symptoms get worse or if new symptoms develop. Treating cystitis caused by something other than bacteria simply involves just managing the symptoms such as drinking lots of water to help flush the urinary bladder, avoid drinks that could irritate your bladder; such as coffee, alcohol, and soft drinks. Applying a heating pad to your abdomen can help relieve bladder pressure or discomfort. Risk factors for cystitis include a wide variety of things, for example the reason women are more likely to develop cystitis then men are is because of women’s physical anatomy. Women’s urethra is shorter than males giving bacteria only a short distance to have to travel before reaching the bladder, with men bacteria has to travel up the 8 inch long urethra to reach the bladder. Sexual activity is a big risk factor for cystitis because sexual intercourse can cause bacteria to be pushed up the urethras. Diabetes is also a risk factor for cystitis because the sugar in the urine makes a perfect host for bacteria. The prevention of cystitis could make living life way more comfortable and enjoyable. Doctors recommend drinking cranberry juice and taking vitamin C supplements because a component in them helps suppress the growth of