Cystitis in men is a disease of an infectious or non-infectious nature, characterized by an inflammatory process in the bladder mucosa. Statistically, women are more susceptible to cystitis, however, sometimes men also have to go through all the "characteristics" of this pathology.
Male representatives rarely get this disease due to the peculiarity of the structure of their urinary tract, which is much longer than that of females, and therefore it is very difficult to infect the bladder with bacteria. And even when bacteria do enter the urethra, they cannot travel any further along the urinary tract, and often they are completely washed out of the urethra with a stream of urine.
Therefore, representatives of the male sex can experience this pathology only in some cases:
- if their immunity is severely reduced;
- if the infection has entered the urinary tract in large quantities.
The reasons
Doctors talk about 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 progress for years with subtle symptoms, with periodic exacerbations.
Various factors can cause the disease:
- kidney and ureter infections;
- foci of chronic infection in the body;
- genital infections;
- radiation exposure;
- the presence of prostatitis or urethritis;
- sepsis;
- penetration into the bladder by Mycobacterium tuberculosis;
- allergic reaction.
The main factor leading to the development of cystitis is hypothermia, in which this disease can occur in immunocompromised people. In addition, cystitis is often encountered when men have diseases such as prostate cancer or cancer of this organ.
About pathogens causing acute cystitis are mainly Proteus bacteria, but the disease can also occur due to exposure to coca, E. coli and other bacterial infections.
Level
As noted 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:
- Single;
- rare;
- frequent.
When they say the disease is rare, they mean the frequency of occurrence 1 time per year or less, and when they say frequent, they mean 2 times a year or more often.
As for chronic cystitis, it also has several types:
- latent, that is, progressing without severe symptoms or without symptoms, but still having exacerbations that occur one to several times a year;
- persistent, in which signs of the disease appear 2-3 times a year;
- interstitial, is characterized by frequent exacerbations (more than 3 times a year) and the presence of pain, and general symptoms (asthenia, fever, etc. ).
Interstitial cystitis is the most severe form of this disease and is much more difficult to treat than other forms of the disease.
It should 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 in the mucous membranes of the affected organ. In particular, in chronic pathology, the mucosa undergoes changes, its structure and color changes.
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 talk about primary when the disease first appeared and its appearance is not related to any pathological processes inside the body. Secondary cystitis develops as a result of other diseases of the internal organs and bladder. Specifically, bladder injury, presence of stones, tumor in the organ, foreign body intrusion, etc. v. (caused by cysts), or prostatitis, diseases of the spine and other diseases (non-vesicular causes. ) can lead to its occurrence.
And the final classification of this pathology in men is to distinguish three forms of pathology, depending on the affected area of the bladder. So, if the neck of the organ is affected, they talk about cervical cystitis, if the bladder triangle is affected - about papillomatitis, and when the walls of the organ are involved in this process - aboutdiffuse cystitis.
Types of inflammatory processes
Such a pathology as cystitis in men can develop in different situations. The most favorable process is catarrhal, in which there are no changes in the mucous membrane of the bladder and it is simply an increase in blood pressure. With a venous process, the disease is accompanied by the release of a large amount of pus in the urine, and hemorrhagic - impurities in the blood (due to damage to the bladder mucosa).
In addition, there are forms of the disease such as:
- follicle;
- lymph nodes;
- sore.
There are also types of these pathologies that are rare in medical practice, such as cystitis developing with purpura and others.
Main symptoms
Cystitis has a certain symptom, which is difficult to confuse with the symptoms of other diseases. In particular, the patient complains of pain and urinates many times, then wants to urinate again and again. There is also a burning sensation in the urethra, urine containing pus or blood impurities, and a change in the color and smell of the urine.
In most cases, common symptoms of cystitis in men are also present, such as hyperthermia, weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, pain in the groin, scrotum, and penis. , as well as in the supraclavicular region.
To diagnose a pathology, it is not enough just to have signs of the disease - often, patients are also seen with studies such as general blood and urine tests, urine cultures for microbiology, and PCR tests.
Renal ultrasound, cystoscopy, and computed tomography are also shown.
The treatment
When it comes to the treatment of cystitis in men, 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 program, and chronic under another. In acute cases, the patient is prescribed bed rest, drinking plenty of warm water, as well as some medications. In particular, analgesics and antispasmodics are indicated to relieve pain symptoms, 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 is not difficult, and if the disease occurs for the first time, then recovers in 100% of cases, as long as the person follows all the doctor's recommendations. doctor.
His prescription for chronic cystitis in men is similar, but with the addition of physical therapy and some medical procedures. In particular, antibacterial drugs, drugs that reduce spasms and inflammation in the organ, as well as drugs that treat the underlying cause of the disease are used.
Physical therapy methods to treat this pathology include:
- sludge application;
- UHF;
- iontophoresis.
In addition, bladder lavage in a medical facility with a solution of furacilin and silver nitrate is indicated.
If the patient has nodular cystitis, it is necessary to surgically remove the affected areas of the mucous membrane, after which antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs will be prescribed.
If the disease is left untreated, serious complications can develop. For example, lymphadenopathy, acute urinary retention, fistula formation, etc. If acute cystitis is treated properly, you can completely recover from the disease. Chronic, with proper treatment, becomes inactive, with long periods of no symptoms.