Cystitis in men is a disease of an infectious or non-infectious nature, characterized by an inflammatory process in the lining of the bladder. According to statistics, women suffer from cystitis more often, 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 peculiarity of the structure of their urinary canal, which is much longer than that of women, so infection of the bladder with bacteria is very difficult. Even if bacteria penetrate the urethra, they cannot move further along the urethra, and are often completely washed out of the urethra by the stream of urine.
Therefore, representatives of the stronger sex can encounter this pathology only in a few cases:
- if their immunity is seriously reduced;
- if the infection has penetrated the urinary tract in large quantities.
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 last for years with subtle symptoms, with periodic worsening.
Various factors can cause the disease:
- kidney and ureter infections;
- chronic foci of infection in the body;
- genital infections;
- exposure to radiation;
- presence of prostatitis or urethritis;
- sepsis;
- entry of Mycobacterium tuberculosis into the bladder;
- allergic reactions.
The main predisposing factor for the occurrence 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 the pathology can also arise due to exposure to cocci, E. coli and other bacterial infections.
Varieties
As already mentioned, cystitis in men is divided into acute and chronic. But these two main types of pathology also have their variants. So, acute cystitis can be:
- single;
- rarely;
- frequent.
When they say that the disease occurs rarely, they mean the frequency of occurrence 1 time a year or less, and when they say it is frequent, it is assumed that it occurs 2 times a year or more often.
As for chronic cystitis, it also comes in several varieties:
- latent, that is, it runs without severe symptoms or is asymptomatic at all, but has periods of exacerbation that occur 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 severe form of this pathology 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, then the main criterion is not the number of exacerbations per year, but the changes that occur on the mucous membrane of the affected organ. In particular, with chronic pathology, the mucous membrane undergoes changes, its structure and color change.
In addition to the variants described above, this disease in men is divided into two types, depending on the nature of the phenomenon. 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 in the body. Secondary cystitis occurs as a result of other diseases of internal organs and bladder. In particular, bladder injuries, the presence of stones, tumors in the organ, penetration of foreign bodies, etc. (causes of cystic origin), or prostatitis, spinal diseases and other diseases (causes of non-vesical origin . ) can lead to its appearance.
And the last classification of this pathology in men is the distinction of three forms of pathology, depending on the affected area of the bladder. So, if the neck of the organ is affected, it is called cervical cystitis, if the triangle of the bladder is affected, it is called diarrhoea, and when the walls of the organ are involved in the process, it is called diffuse cystitis.
Types of inflammatory process
Such a pathology as cystitis in men can develop in different scenarios. The most favorable flow 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.
In medical practice, there are also rare types of this pathology, 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 does not stop. There is also a burning sensation in the urethra, impurities in the urine from pus or blood, changes in the color and smell of urine.
In most cases, the usual symptoms of cystitis in men also appear, such as hyperthermia, weakness, fatigue, pain in muscles and joints, 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 the signs of the disease are present - usually patients are also shown studies such as a general blood and urine test, urine culture for microflora and a PCR test.
Kidney ultrasound, cystoscopy and cystography were also shown.
Treatment
If we talk about the treatment of cystitis in men, then it depends on the form of the disease. This pathology should be treated only by a urologist - self-treatment can lead to the development of complications. Acute cystitis is treated according to one scheme, and chronic cystitis according to another. In acute cases, the patient is prescribed bed rest, plenty of warm drinks, as well as some medicines. Painkillers and antispasmodics are especially 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 meat 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 appears for the first time, then recovery occurs in 100% of cases, provided that the person follows all the recommendations of the doctor.
Medicines for chronic cystitis in men that are prescribed to him will be similar, but supplemented by physiotherapy 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.
Physiotherapy methods for the treatment of this pathology include:
- mud applications;
- UHF;
- iontophoresis.
In addition, washing the bladder in a medical facility with solutions of furacilin and silver nitrate is shown.
If the patient has a gangrenous form of cystitis, it is necessary to surgically remove the affected areas of the mucosa, 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 retention of urine, the formation of fistulas, etc. If you treat acute cystitis correctly, you can get rid of the disease completely. Chronic, with proper treatment, becomes inactive, with long periods without symptoms.