Cystitis in men is a disease of an infectious or non-infectious nature, characterized by an inflammatory process in the bladder mucosa. 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 one, and therefore infection of the bladder with bacteria is very difficult. And even if the bacteria penetrate the urethra, they cannot move further along the urinary canal, and often they are completely washed out of the urethra with a stream of urine.
Therefore, representatives of the stronger sex may encounter this pathology only in a few cases:
- if their immunity is severely reduced;
- if the infection has penetrated into the urinary canal 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 proceed for years with subtle symptoms, with periodic exacerbation.
Various 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;
- sepsis;
- 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. In addition, cystitis is often encountered by men suffering from such pathologies as prostate adenoma or cancer of this organ.
As for the pathogen that causes acute cystitis, it is predominantly Proteus, but pathology can also occur due to 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:
- single;
- rare;
- frequent.
When they say that the disease occurs rarely, they mean the frequency of occurrence 1 time per year or less, and when they say that often, it is assumed 2 times a year or more often.
As for chronic cystitis, it also comes in several varieties:
- latent, that is, proceeding without severe symptoms or asymptomatic at all, but nevertheless having periods of exacerbation that occur from one to several times a year;
- persistent, in which the signs of the disease appear 2-3 times a year;
- interstitial, characterized by regular exacerbations (more often than 3 times a year) and the presence of pain, and general symptoms (weakness, fever, etc. ).
Interstitial cystitis is the most severe form of this pathology, and it 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, then 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 occurrence. It can be either primary or secondary cystitis.
They talk about the primary when the disease appeared for the first time and its appearance is not associated with any pathological processes inside the body. Secondary cystitis develops as a consequence of other diseases of the internal organs and the bladder. In particular, injuries of the bladder, the presence of stones, tumors in the organ, the ingress of foreign bodies, etc. (causes of cystic origin), or prostatitis, diseases of the spine and other diseases (causes of non-vesical origin. ) can lead to its appearance.
And the last 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 tregonitis, and when the walls of the organ are involved in the process - about diffuse cystitis.
Types of inflammatory process
Such a pathology as cystitis in men can develop in different scenarios. The most favorable course is catarrhal, in which there are no changes in the mucous membrane 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 in the urine, and with hemorrhagic - blood impurities (due to injury to the bladder mucosa).
Also, there are such forms of the disease 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 aches, pain in the groin, scrotum and penis, as well as in the suprapubic region.
For the diagnosis of pathology, it is not enough that only signs of the disease are present - usually, patients are also shown such studies as a general blood and urine test, urine culture for microflora, and a PCR test.
Ultrasound of the kidneys, cystoscopy and cystography are also indicated.
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 warm drink, as well as some drugs. In particular, painkillers and antispasmodics are indicated to relieve the pain symptom, 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, then recovery occurs in 100% of cases, provided that the person follows all the doctor's recommendations.
Medicines for chronic cystitis in men who are prescribed to him will be similar, but they are supplemented with physiotherapy and some medical procedures. In particular, antibacterial drugs, drugs that relieve spasm and inflammation in the organ, as well as drugs that treat the underlying cause of the disease are used.
Physiotherapeutic methods for the treatment of this pathology include:
- mud applications;
- UHF;
- iontophoresis.
In addition, washing 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, it is required to remove the affected areas of the mucous membrane surgically, after which antibacterial drugs 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, the formation of fistulas, etc. If you treat acute cystitis correctly, you can completely get rid of the disease. Chronic, with proper treatment, becomes inactive, with long periods of no symptoms.