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 even men 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 the infection of the bladder with bacteria is very difficult. And even if 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 can encounter this pathology only in some cases:
- if their immunity decreases significantly;
- if the infection has penetrated the urinary tract in large quantities.
reason
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 continue 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;
- 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 appear in people with reduced immunity. In addition, cystitis is often encountered by men suffering from pathologies such as prostate adenoma or cancer of this organ.
As for the pathogen that causes acute cystitis, it is mainly Proteus, but the pathology can also occur due to exposure to cocci, 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 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 often, it is assumed 2 times per year or more often.
As for chronic cystitis, it also comes in several types:
- latent, that is, that continues without severe symptoms or asymptomatic at all, but nevertheless there are periods of irritation that occur from one to several times a year;
- continuous, in which the signs of the disease appear 2-3 times a year;
- interstitial, characterized by regular irritations (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 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 irritations 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 manifestation. It can be 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 process inside the body. Secondary cystitis develops as a result of other diseases of internal organs and bladder. In particular, bladder injuries, the presence of stones, tumors in the organ, the entry 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 triangle of the bladder is affected - about manifestations, and when the walls of the organ are involved in the process - about diffuse cystitis.
Types of inflammatory processes
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 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 hemorrhagic blood impurities (due to damage 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 desire 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 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 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-medication 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, lots of warm drinks, as well as some medicines. In particular, painkillers 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 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 doctor's recommendations.
Medicines for chronic cystitis in men that are prescribed will be similar, but they are supplemented with physiotherapy and some medical procedures. In particular, antibacterial drugs are used, drugs that relieve spasm and inflammation in the body, as well as drugs that treat the underlying cause of the disease.
Physiotherapy methods for the treatment of this pathology include:
- clay applications;
- UHF;
- iontophoresis.
In addition, washing the bladder in a medical institution with a solution of furacilin and silver nitrate is indicated.
If a patient has a gangrenous form of cystitis, surgical removal of the affected areas of the mucosa is required, 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 retention of urine, the formation of fistulas, etc. If you treat acute cystitis properly, you can get rid of the disease completely. Chronic, with proper treatment, becomes inactive, with long periods without symptoms.