Cystitis in men is a disease of an infectious or non-infectious nature, characterized by an inflammatory process in the mucosa of the bladder. According to statistics, women are more likely to experience cystitis, but nevertheless, sometimes men also have to experience all the "charms" of this pathology.
Representatives of the stronger sex rarely suffer from this disease due to the peculiarities of the structure of their urinary canal, which is much longer than the female, and therefore infection of the bladder with bacteria is very difficult. And even if the bacteria get into the urethra, they cannot move further along the urinary canal, and are often completely washed out of the urethra with a stream of urine.
Therefore, representatives of the stronger sex can encounter this pathology only in some cases:
- if your immunity is severely reduced;
- if the infection has penetrated the urinary canal in large numbers.
The reasons
Doctors speak of two main forms of this disease in men: acute and chronic. The acute form is characterized by the severity of clinical symptoms, and chronic cystitis in men can continue for years with subtle symptoms, with periodic exacerbations.
Several factors can cause the disease:
- infections of the kidneys and ureters;
- chronic foci of infection in the body;
- genital infections;
- radiation exposure;
- the presence of prostatitis or urethritis;
- septicemia;
- entry into the bladder of Mycobacterium tuberculosis;
- allergic reactions.
The main predisposing factor for the development of cystitis is hypothermia, during which this disease can occur in people with reduced immunity. Also, men suffering from pathologies such as prostate adenoma or cancer of this organ often encounter cystitis.
As for the pathogen that causes acute cystitis, it is predominantly Proteus, but the pathology can also occur from exposure to coca, E. coli and other bacterial infections.
varieties
As mentioned above, cystitis in men is classified into acute and chronic. But these two main types of pathology also have their own varieties. So, acute cystitis can be:
- unique;
- weird;
- frequent.
When they say that the disease occurs rarely, they mean the frequency of occurrence of 1 time a year or less, and when they say often, they mean 2 times a year or more.
As for chronic cystitis, it also comes in several varieties:
- latent, that is, ongoing with no serious symptoms or no symptoms at all, but nevertheless with periods of exacerbation occurring from one to several times a year;
- persistent, in which signs of the disease appear 2-3 times a year;
- interstitial, characterized by regular exacerbations (more than 3 times a year) and the presence of pain and general symptoms (weakness, fever, etc. ).
Interstitial cystitis is the most serious form of this pathology and is much more difficult to treat than other forms of the disease.
It must be said that when the pathology is divided into acute and chronic cystitis, the main criterion is not the number of exacerbations per year, but the changes that occur with the mucous membrane of the affected organ. In particular, in chronic pathology, the mucosa undergoes changes, its structure and color change.
In addition to the varieties described above, this disease in men is divided into two types, depending on the nature of the appearance. It can be primary or secondary cystitis.
They speak of the primary when the disease first appeared, and its appearance is not associated with any pathological process within the body. Secondary cystitis develops as a consequence of other diseases of the internal organs and the bladder. In particular, bladder injuries, presence of stones, tumors in the organ, entry of foreign bodies, etc. (causes of cystic origin), or prostatitis, spinal diseases and other diseases (causes of non-bladder origin). . ) can lead to its appearance.
And the last classification of this pathology in men consists of distinguishing three forms of pathology, depending on the area of the affected bladder. So, if the neck of the organ is affected, they speak of cervical cystitis, if the triangle of the bladder is affected - of tregonitis, and when the walls of the organ are involved in the process - of diffuse cystitis.
Types of inflammatory process.
A pathology such as cystitis in men can develop in different scenarios. The most favorable course is catarrhal, in which there are no changes in the mucosa of the bladder and it is simply hyperemic. With a phlegmonous course, the disease is accompanied by the release of a large amount of pus into the urine and hemorrhagic - blood impurities (due to injury to the mucosa of the bladder).
In addition, there are forms of the disease such as:
- cystic;
- gangrenous;
- ulcerative
There are also rare types of this pathology in medical practice, for example, cystitis that develops with purpura and others.
main symptoms
Cystitis has a certain symptomatology, which is difficult to confuse with the symptoms of other diseases. In particular, patients complain of painful and frequent urination, after which the urge to urinate again does not stop. There is also a burning sensation in the urethra, impurities in the urine of pus or blood, a change in the color and smell of urine.
In most cases, common symptoms of cystitis in men also appear, such as hyperthermia, weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, pain in the groin, scrotum and penis, as well as in the suprapubic region.
For the diagnosis of the pathology, it is not enough that only the signs of the disease are present; patients are usually also shown such studies as a general blood and urine test, a urine culture for microflora, and a PCR test.
Ultrasound of the kidneys, cystoscopy, and cystography are also shown.
Treatment
If we talk about the treatment of cystitis in men, then it depends on the form of the disease. Only a urologist should treat this pathology; self-treatment can lead to the development of complications. Acute cystitis is treated according to one scheme, and chronic according to another. In acute cases, the patient is prescribed bed rest, plenty of hot drinks, and some medications. In particular, analgesics and antispasmodics are indicated to relieve the symptom of pain and antibacterial drugs to destroy the infection.
Diet is important: it is necessary to exclude spices and seasonings from the diet, refuse to drink alcohol, smoked meats and pickles. A good effect is the use of alternative medicine methods - the use of herbal decoctions with antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Usually, the treatment of cystitis in men does not cause difficulties, and if the pathology occurs for the first time, recovery occurs in 100% of cases, provided that the person follows all the doctor's recommendations.
The medications for chronic cystitis in men that you are prescribed will be similar, but are supplemented by physical therapy and some medical procedures. In particular, antibacterial drugs are used, drugs that relieve spasm and inflammation in the organ, as well as drugs that treat the underlying cause of the disease.
Physiotherapeutic methods for the treatment of this pathology include:
- mud applications;
- ultrahigh frequency;
- iontophoresis.
In addition, lavage of the bladder in a medical institution with solutions of furacilin and silver nitrate is shown.
If a patient has a gangrenous form of cystitis, surgical removal of the affected areas of the mucous membrane is required, after which antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed.
If the disease is not treated, serious complications can develop. For example, the development of a gangrenous form, acute urinary retention, fistula formation, etc. If you treat acute cystitis correctly, you can completely get rid of the disease. Chronic, with proper treatment, it becomes inactive, with long periods without symptoms.