Most often, the lower abdomen, where the bladder is located, is a weak spot in women. But often problems also occur in male patients. In this article we will look at why a man’s bladder hurts and how to treat it. All organs of the genitourinary system are interconnected. Therefore, the failure of one leads to problems in the other. Let's figure out how such a complex mechanism works.
To summarize, everything is simple: the kidneys filter the blood, and the waste fluid is “sent” to the bladder through the ureters, and then urine leaves the body through the urethra. There is no clear answer why men have bladder pain. Normally this shouldn't be the case. And the doctor must find the true cause after examination.
What is cystitis
The bladder is a muscular organ located in the pelvic cavity, its upper part, which collects urine before exiting through the urethra. This is how the terminal section of the urinary system is arranged in the male and female body. The bladder cavity fills gradually through two ureters, which are conductive pathways for filtered fluid from the kidneys. When the organ is filled to more than half its volume, the person feels the urge to urinate. This is an unconditioned reflex.
The internal environment of the urinary system is sterile, just like the urine that is excreted in a healthy person. Ingestion of infectious agents capable of multiplying under these conditions, as well as chemical irritants and allergens leads to the development of cystitis, the first symptoms of which will immediately indicate disturbances in the described chain.
Inflammatory, allergic, and chemical irritation in the bladder can be caused by various reasons. The ways in which irritants penetrate inside also differ.
For women, the so-called ascending path is more typical, that is, the pathogen enters the cavity, rising from the external urethra.
The same kind of cystitis can be found in a small child, especially an infant, for whom there is no proper home care, or there is pathology of the postpartum period, organic disorders.
How symptoms develop
If inflammation of the bladder occurs for the first time, then, as a rule, the woman may not be aware of it due to the sluggish course of the symptoms of the disease. That is, if she had never suffered from anything like this before, then she had no problems at all with how to be treated.
When a woman independently decides to go for treatment when she feels pain and discomfort in the bladder area. Which, perhaps, can be postponed for an indefinite period against the background of mildly expressed symptoms of unknown etiology. Her busyness or lack of knowledge of what to do in such situations.
So, what should alert a lady and make her see a doctor:
- Every time she goes to the toilet, she does not have time to get to it due to weakness of the bladder muscles.
- She often experiences involuntary urination during sleep.
- Leakage of urine during periods of overwork, sneezing, diseases that cause coughing.
- A sharp reduction in the amount of urine produced every time you visit the toilet.
- Increased number of urinations per day.
- Weak and intermittent stream of urine.
- When leaving the toilet, there is no feeling of complete emptying of the bladder.
- Every urination process is accompanied by pain.
- There is blood in the urine.
However, despite this, not all types of symptoms listed may be present. Sometimes only 2 - 3 symptoms from the top list can indicate a bladder disease. Refusal of a medical examination can greatly undermine the health of the female reproductive system. What is not advisable to leave to chance or try to recover with improvised means.
Causes of occurrence in women
It is necessary to clearly understand the difference between the causes and conditions that initiated the signs of cystitis in women. The causes are infectious agents and non-infectious factors. The first group includes:
- opportunistic microorganisms;
- pathogenic microorganisms;
- causative agents of sexually transmitted diseases.
Opportunistic microbes are so called because they exhibit their virulent properties when exposed to suitable conditions. Typically, the causative agents of diseases of this kind are representatives of the normal biocenosis of the vagina or intestinal microflora. They are constantly present on the skin of the genital organs and act as a protective barrier. As soon as a girl becomes hypothermic and takes treatment with antibiotics, which suppress not only pathogenic, but also normal flora, the number of representatives of the microbiocenosis grows rapidly. When they reach a critical mass, they cease to perform a barrier function, changing the pH value of the mucous membranes, and themselves become the cause of the development of inflammation.
In addition, by multiplying, microbes spread to areas unusual for them, for example, the urethra, bladder. Pathogenic pathogens become a source of inflammatory reactions during the stay of patients in a hospital of any profile, but most often, one can become infected in maternity hospitals and obstetric and gynecological departments. It is in them that microorganisms that cause nosocomial infections circulate.
These pathogens differ from ordinary ones in that during the process of repeated passaging through weakened organisms, they acquire new characteristics, for example:
- salmonella, which is spread by airborne droplets;
- resistance to a large number of antibiotics;
- immunity to broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs;
- the ability to use substances unusual for this species as a nutritional substrate.
The clinical course of cystitis caused by pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms that acquired new properties during development is characterized by painful manifestations. It is more difficult to fight such cystitis, since the range of antibacterial drugs is narrowed.
Sexually transmitted diseases cannot occur in isolation from the urinary organs due to the peculiarities of their anatomical structure. The most common among them are gonorrhea, trichomonas urethritis and cystitis. Through the urethra, which in women is wider and shorter than in men, bacteria enter the bladder cavity and begin to multiply there.
Causes of non-infectious origin are divided into chemical and allergic factors. Chemical irritants can enter through the blood, filtered by the kidneys. These can be medicinal substances, harmful agents of industrial nature, food components.
Allergic agents are evidence of a profound suppression of the immune system, which reacts with hypersensitivity to common substances.
Additional conditions that contribute to the development of inflammation include factors such as: hypothermia, wearing synthetic underwear, neglect of personal hygiene rules, acute and chronic gynecological diseases, childbirth, eating irritating foods, pregnancy.
How to check your bladder
The set of diagnostic measures depends on the nature of the symptoms, their severity and associated complications. To identify pathologies of the urinary system, ultrasound or cystoscopy and urine tests are required.
Examinations for urinary dysfunction in men:
- culture of a urethral smear;
- PCR diagnostics;
- clinical urine analysis;
- Ultrasound of the prostate and bladder.
In doubtful situations - with neoplasms, foreign bodies in the organ - multispiral cystourethrography is prescribed.
Early signs
The first signs of cystitis in women already require treatment from a specialist and the patient’s close attention to her body. You can suspect the development of inflammation in the bladder by detecting a primary syndrome:
- constant itching in the external genital area;
- the appearance of discharge from the urethra;
- painful, nagging pain after urination;
- pain along the urethra;
- increased urge to go to the toilet;
- changes in color, clarity of urine, appearance of visible sediment.
If you do not pay proper attention and do not treat the disease, the first symptoms gradually worsen and the acute disease becomes chronic.
Diagnostics
At the first consultation, the doctor collects the data necessary to begin treatment. Then he sends the patient for tests and examination using special equipment.
These include:
- ultrasound examination, which allows you to assess the condition of the urinary system, as well as the prostate;
- cystoscopy, which will help to examine in detail the internal cavity of the organ.
Tests will confirm urolithiasis. If a man’s lower abdomen hurts after urinating, and salts are found in the urine, then the diagnosis will become clear to a specialist.
Progressive pathology
The medical history of a patient with chronic cystitis can become quite voluminous if therapy is ignored or additional rules are not followed. Acute symptoms quickly lose their manifest character and subside, no longer causing significant discomfort.
But there are a number of signs of inflammation progression:
- the addition of a secondary infection in the kidneys;
- attacks of exacerbation of infection are accompanied by fever;
- general condition worsens;
- the amount of urine excreted is scanty;
- the urine has a strong odor, is cloudy, and may be mixed with pus or blood.
Chronic cystitis does not occur in isolation; it is complicated by inflammatory processes in the kidneys and gynecological pathologies.
The body's resistance gradually decreases, infections of other organs cause exacerbations of cystitis and pass with an increase in body temperature, symptoms of general intoxication, severe weakness and malaise.
The urge to urinate is frequent, but the amount of fluid released is small. This is because it irritates the bladder receptors too much due to altered pH balance and pathological impurities. Urine excretion is painful, spasmodic pain does not allow for rest even at night. The suprapubic region is tense, palpation of the abdominal muscles in the lower abdomen is difficult. Urine has an unpleasant, uncharacteristically pungent odor. When observing it, you can notice sediment that falls to the bottom.
How to find out the cause of nagging pain?
If you have nagging pain, of course, you should first consult a specialist. This may be a general practitioner or a urologist directly, or a nephrologist. The doctor will definitely conduct a thorough survey, examine you and prescribe the necessary tests.
Usually this is a general blood and urine test, a biochemical blood test. In some cases, special tests such as urine according to Nechiporenko and Zimnitsky may be needed. Routine examinations will make it possible to recognize the presence of an inflammatory reaction in the body.
Schematic illustration of cystoscopy in a man
Of the instrumental methods, ultrasound examination of the bladder and the pelvic organs in general is mandatory. The kidneys are also examined. Cystoscopy may be necessary (mandatory when diagnosing neoplasms). If a tumor is suspected, X-ray contrast and a biopsy are necessary.
For women, a thorough examination by a gynecologist will be required, and for men, a digital examination of the prostate. In order to identify urolithiasis, the doctor may prescribe excretory urography.
Classic signs of acute and chronic cystitis
An acute process occurs for the first time after contact with an infectious agent, chemical irritant or allergen. Symptoms appear clearly and manifestly: sharp pain when urinating, uncomfortable emptying of the bladder, pain in the lower abdomen, itching and burning at the exit of the urethra. There may be a short-term rise in temperature, nausea or weakness, loss of appetite, and there may be an association with worsening symptoms after ingesting irritating foods or drinks.
Chronic pathology is characterized by the erasure of symptoms, the presence of constant discomfort in the suprapubic region, and nagging pain. In the remission stage, the patient feels quite healthy. Exacerbation occurs after hypothermia, consumption of irritating food or drinks, or repeated contact with an allergen.
Which doctor should you contact?
Bladder diseases in men are treated by a urologist. If there are complaints of dysuric disorders, the doctor must examine the genitals and palpate the prostate gland. If necessary, the man is referred for further examination to:
- endocrinologist;
- proctologist;
- infectious disease specialist;
- andrologist.
If during an ultrasound examination benign or malignant formations are detected in the bladder, an oncologist should be consulted. In case of immunodeficiency, you will need to visit an immunologist.
Types of cystitis in women
Bladder inflammation is classified according to various criteria.
The main types of cystitis include the following:
- by the nature of the process: acute or chronic;
- due to the occurrence: bacterial, chemical or allergic;
- by associated factors: postpartum, secondary, postoperative.
Postoperative cystitis occurs after abortion, delivery by cesarean section, and urine is released through a catheter. It is this medical instrument that can become a source of infection.
Features of postpartum cystitis
The postpartum period requires close attention and monitoring of the postpartum woman, especially at home. Compliance with the rules of careful hygienic care and a regime of frequent urination will help to avoid possible complications of the period after childbirth and the addition of urinary tract infections.
Postpartum cystitis occurs in the same way as any other, but its treatment is difficult because not all medications can be taken by a nursing woman. In addition, this period is characterized by the presence of damage to the external genitalia, which makes it difficult to urinate and use the usual toilet.
Severe forms of the disease rarely develop, since treatment of cystitis does not cause significant difficulties. But most often we have to deal with a chronic form that is difficult to correct with drugs if the causative agent is a multidrug-resistant microorganism.
Treatment
It is imperative to treat acute or chronic cystitis comprehensively. The use of different methods of therapy at the same time contributes to the speedy recovery of the patient.
The main therapeutic agents are:
- antimicrobial tablets;
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- analgesics and antispasmodics;
- physiotherapy (in remission);
- diet;
- traditional methods.
Drugs for the treatment of cystitis: Furadonin, Nitroxoline, antibiotics that are excreted by the kidneys to achieve maximum effectiveness. “Monural”, “Palin”, “Nolitsin” help well - these are products with a wide spectrum of action. Anti-inflammatory drugs are preferably prescribed from the group of non-steroidal drugs; they have antispasmodic and analgesic activity.
The diet involves excluding from the diet sour, pickled, spicy foods that have an irritating effect. In this case, it is necessary to drink at least two liters of fluid per day to sanitize the bladder.
Folk recipes
Alternative medicine has gained extensive experience in the treatment of urological infections. The recipes have many positive reviews, which confirms the effectiveness of the methods. But they can only be used in combination with drug treatment.
Good results are obtained by ingesting decoctions of parsley root, chamomile, and tincture of lingonberry leaves. Drinking lingonberry juice has an excellent sanitizing effect. The healing qualities of “bear ears” and cranberries have long been known. You can prepare the following composition and take it three times a day after meals:
- take dry herbs of rosemary, lovage, centaury, and rose hips in equal proportions;
- pour boiling water for 30 minutes;
- boil in a water bath for 20 minutes;
- leave for 30 minutes;
- strain and drink as above.
It is contraindicated to drink alcohol, strong drinks, or smoke during treatment.
