Cystitis in men is an infectious or non-infectious disease characterized by an inflammatory process in the mucous membrane of the bladder. According to statistics, women encounter cystitis more often, but despite this, 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 characteristics of the structure of the urinary canals, which are longer than women, and therefore it is very difficult for the bladder to become infected with bacteria. Although bacteria penetrate the urethra, they cannot travel along the urethra and are often completely washed out of the urethra by the flow of urine.
Therefore, representatives of the stronger sex can encounter this pathology only in a few cases:
- when their immunity is drastically reduced;
- if the infection penetrates the urethra 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 last for years with subtle symptoms, with periodic exacerbations.
The disease can be caused by various factors:
- infections of the kidneys and ureters;
- centers of chronic infection in the body;
- genital infections;
- exposure to radiation;
- presence of prostatitis or urethritis;
- sepsis;
- Entering the bladder of Mycobacterium tuberculosis;
- allergic reactions.
The main predisposing factor for the development of cystitis is hypothermia, when this disease can occur in immunocompromised people. 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 coca, E. coli and other bacterial infections.
Varieties
As mentioned above, cystitis in men is classified as acute and chronic. However, these two main types of pathology also have their own types. Thus, acute cystitis can be:
- alone;
- rare;
- often.
When they say that the disease occurs rarely, they mean once a year or less, and when they say often, they mean twice a year or more often.
As for chronic cystitis, there are several types:
- latent, that is, periods of exacerbation without serious symptoms or generally asymptomatic, but nevertheless occurring once or several times a year;
- persistent, in which the symptoms 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 it is very difficult to treat compared to 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 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 types described above, this disease in men is divided into two types depending on the nature of the occurrence. It can be primary or secondary cystitis.
They talk about the initial, when the disease appears for the first time and its appearance is not related to any pathological processes inside the body. Secondary cystitis develops as a result of other diseases of internal organs and bladder. In particular, injuries of the bladder, the presence of stones, tumors in the organ, the introduction of foreign bodies, etc. (causes of cystic origin) or prostatitis, diseases of the spine and other diseases (causes of non-vesical origin). ) can cause the appearance.
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 triangle of the bladder is affected - tregonitis, and when the walls of the organ are involved in the process - diffuse cystitis.
Types of inflammatory process
A pathology such as cystitis in men can develop in different scenarios. The most favorable course is catarrhal, 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 a large amount of pus in the urine, hemorrhagic - with blood impurities (due to damage to the mucous membrane of the bladder).
In addition, there are such forms of the disease:
- cystic;
- gangrenosis;
- ulcerated.
In medical practice, there are also rare types of this pathology, for example, cystitis developing with purpura and others.
Main symptoms
Cystitis has a certain symptomatology, it is difficult to confuse it 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 a burning sensation in the urethra, pus or blood impurities in the urine, changes in the color and smell of urine.
In most cases, common symptoms of cystitis in men also appear, for example, hyperthermia, weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, pain in the groin, testicles and penis, as well as in the suprapubic region.
For the diagnosis of pathology, only the presence of symptoms of the disease is not enough - 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-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 medicines. In particular, painkillers and antispasmodics are indicated to eliminate the pain symptom, and antibacterial drugs are indicated to destroy the infection.
Diet is important - it is necessary to exclude spices and condiments from the diet, to give up alcohol, smoked meat and acids. 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 pathology occurs 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 prescribed to him will be similar, but they are supplemented with physiotherapy and some medical procedures. In particular, antibacterial drugs, drugs that eliminate spasm and inflammation in the body, as well as drugs that treat the main cause of the disease are used.
Physiotherapy methods for the treatment of this pathology include:
- mud applications;
- UHF;
- iontophoresis.
In addition, washing the bladder in a medical institution with solutions of furacilin and silver nitrate is indicated.
If a patient has a gangrenous form of cystitis, surgical removal of the affected areas of the mucous membrane 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 gangrene, acute urinary retention, formation of fistulas, etc. If you treat acute cystitis correctly, you can get rid of the disease completely. Chronic, with proper treatment, is inactive for a long time without any symptoms.