The inflammatory process in the bladder is called cystitis, which can develop in both adults and children. The cause of the development of the disease can be infections or other provoking factors. The disease is treated depending on the type, as well as the cause of the occurrence. Consider the features of the diagnosis of cystitis, how the disease progresses in adults and children, how it is treated and what preventive measures exist.
What is cystitis?
This disease is the most common among pathologies of the bladder and urinary tract. Most often it occurs in women (80%), since they are shorter than men, the urethra 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 this disease in a chronic form. In men, this pathology is rare, and only 0.5% of them are chronic.
The body of a woman every month is faced with changes in the hormonal background. 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 gestation. According to statistics, it is diagnosed in every tenth expectant mother.
Causes of occurrence
Before proceeding to the diagnosis of cystitis, it is worthwhile to understand the root causes of the development of pathology.
Causes of cystitis in children and adults:
- Infections Pathogens that enter the urinary tract most often cause inflammation. Infections can get from the anus or vagina, less often from the kidneys. Infection can also enter the bladder with blood flow (hematogenous pathway). 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 may not fully perform its functions, which may contribute to the development of cystitis.
- Hypothermia. As a result of severe freezing, cystitis can develop, most often in women and children.
- Taking medication. Some medications can cause bladder inflammation as side effects. This is a group of cytostatic drugs that are used for malignant neoplasms. Pathology is called drug cystitis.
- Allergy. In a small number of women, cystitis is a reaction of the body to the local effects of an allergen.
In addition to the main reasons for the development of cystitis, doctors also determine a number of factors that can contribute to the development of pathology. This synthetic tight underwear, unprotected intercourse or frequent changes in sexual partners, intestinal disease (constipation or diarrhea), kidney disease and hormonal failure.
Classification
Diagnosis and treatment of cystitis depends primarily on its form. Pathology can be primary and secondary. In the first case, the disease is caused by infections in the urinary tract, in the second case, cystitis is a result of a malfunction of some organ or the spread of infection throughout the body. In children, secondary cystitis can develop against the background of incomplete emptying of the bladder, which can be caused by anatomical features of the structure of the organ.
Also, the disease can be infectious or non-infectious in nature. In the first case, it can manifest itself specifically or non-specifically. The second option can be caused by thermal, chemical, toxic, allergic or drug factors.
Depending on how the pathology proceeds, it can have an acute or chronic form. The acute form has pronounced symptoms, while the chronic one has symptoms, which either appear or decrease. In children, acute cystitis is accompanied by inflammation of the mucous and submucosal 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 is also inflamed, tritogonitis is found in the inflammatory process in the region of the Lietot triangle.
Symptomatology
The development of cystitis is accompanied by certain symptoms, regardless of gender, as well as the person's age.
How does cystitis manifest:
- Itching and burning when going to the toilet. They are most common and indicate the presence of cystitis of an infectious or allergic nature.
- Pain in the lower abdomen. Only in 10% of patients this symptom may be absent, but rarely does anyone pay attention to minor discomfort, although pain can be given to the back.
- Fever, headache, and fatigue.
- Blood in urine. Symptom is rare, more often in men and indicates a viral cause of the development of the disease. A form of pathology can be acute and complicated (in this case, doctors recommend a differential diagnosis of cystitis to distinguish the disease from another pathology).
How to recognize a disease in children
Symptoms of cystitis in both children and adults are the same. The only difference is that the baby cannot yet 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 can be a consequence of ARVI.
At the age of six months, cystitis is most often found in boys, which may indicate possible abnormalities in the development of urinary tract organs. In the period from 2 years to 15 girls are sick 10 times more often.
How does cystitis manifest in a child:
- frequent and painful urination;
- urinary incontinence (enuresis);
- cloudy or too dark urine;
- an increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees (observed with pyelonephritis);
- vomiting, loose stools, and pain in the lower abdomen.
In newborns, pathology can manifest itself as malaise, capricious state, irritability and impaired appetite. Swelling of the upper and lower extremities or bags under the eyes may also be observed.
Diagnosis of cystitis: tests
In order to recognize the disease and clearly diagnose, a series of tests are performed. Be sure to take a general urine test, bacteriological culture, which helps to determine the causative agent of inflammation and identify sensitivity to a specific group of antibiotics. In rare cases, a polymerase chain reaction is carried out and the microflora of the genital organs is examined. Cytoscopy and biopsy are performed according to indications only.
An ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs and abdominal cavity can also be performed. Most often, it is prescribed for the diagnosis of interstitial cystitis, a diagnosis that has appeared relatively recently in the international classification of diseases. He is characterized by frequent urination and intense pain.
In rare cases, a Parsons test (or potassium test) is prescribed, as well as cystometry. A recent study measures the capacity of the bladder. To do this, use gas or a special fluid that 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 is prescribed for the child, a bacteriological examination (culture) or a urinalysis according to Nechiporenko. 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 biochemistry or ultrasound of the abdominal organs, x-ray or scintigraphy (examination of the kidneys with a radioisotope) may be necessary.
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 it is necessary to take into account sensitivity, that is, to prescribe medications only after a backseeding.
If during the diagnosis of cystitis fungi or viruses were detected as pathogens of inflammation, antifungal and antiviral drugs are prescribed. In general, the treatment of acute cystitis takes no more than 12 days.
The chronic form of the disease is treated longer, and 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 secondary disease, a study and treatment of concomitant pathology are carried out. First of all, a visit to the dentist and a complete rehabilitation of the oral cavity are required. Treatment of chronic tonsillitis with an ENT doctor is recommended, 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 shows rest and, if possible, bed rest. To relieve spasm, you can put a warm towel on the area of the bladder. Also useful will be baths from decoctions of herbs. The temperature of the water in which the baby will sit should not exceed +37.5 ° C.
It is also recommended that children follow dietary foods, eliminate irritating foods, drink more fluids, including fruit drinks and fruit drinks. The more a child drinks, the faster pathogenic bacteria will be washed 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
In the diagnosis of chronic cystitis and the absence of treatment, complications may develop. The inflammatory process can spread beyond the area of the bladder or lead to disturbances in its work.
Among the most common pathologies, the development of pyelonephritis is possible, that is, inflammation of the kidneys, when antibiotics cannot be dispensed with.
Prevention
Particular attention should be paid to the prevention of cystitis, especially for women. What to do to avoid cystitis?
- 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 personal hygiene.
- Observe drinking regimen.
- Avoid hypothermia.
- Periodically, for prevention, regardless of the disease, take a general urine test.