Why is cystitis easy to recur many times?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Vo Thien Ngon - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital
Cystitis is a common disease in women, especially women during pregnancy and perimenopause. In many people, this disease frequently recurs, greatly affecting quality of life.

1.1. Recurrent cystitis and unpredictable consequences

Cystitis is a common disease in women. Almost everyone has had cystitis at least once in their life. Each episode of cystitis usually lasts 3-5 days with the following manifestations:
Painful urination, burning sensation along the urethra during or after urination; Urinating many times but the amount of urine each time is very small; Feeling of urgency with urgent need to urinate, if not in time, it is easy to leak urine; Cloudy, foul-smelling urine; May urinate blood at the end of the yard; Pain in the lower abdomen. Episodes of cystitis in women usually occur a few days after sex. However, this is not a sexually transmitted disease that is caused by bacteria traveling upstream from the urethra into the bladder. Treatment of acute episodes of cystitis is simple and often successful if the patient adheres to the appropriate antibiotic instructions and drinks plenty of fluids.
However, cystitis is a disease with a very high recurrence rate. Patients will often have to endure painful episodes, uncomfortable symptoms caused by the disease and face the risk of drug resistance after using antibiotics regularly, leading to a deadlock in treatment if it occurs. other infectious diseases such as enteritis, pneumonia, ... Therefore, the problem is to find the cause of recurrent cystitis to treat thoroughly and completely, and at the same time to prevent the risk of the body. antibiotic resistance.

2. The cause of cystitis is easy to relapse many times

There are many reasons why cystitis in women easily recurs many times. Specifically:
Body structure: The anatomical structure of the urinary and external genitalia of women is a favorable factor for cystitis because the urethra is short, close to the vagina and anus, so it is easy to get infected. bacteria from these organs. Besides, with motherhood, especially hormonal changes during pregnancy and childbirth also lead to anatomical and physiological changes of the external genitalia, creating favorable conditions for inflammation. recurrent bladder; Urethral stricture: Is a congenital urogenital malformation, creating a vortex of urine in the opposite direction, pulling bacteria available in the urinary opening and urethra into the bladder. This condition is aggravated after sex because the act of intercourse contributes to pushing secretions in the small glands, pulling bacteria in them into the urethral lumen. Therefore, the typical sign of recurrent cystitis due to urethral stricture is inflammatory episodes that often occur after sexual activity. Urinary stricture is often caused by birth defects or seen in postmenopausal or premenopausal women due to low female hormones causing dryness and atrophy of the external genitalia; Due to some diseases: Recurrent cystitis can originate from a disease of the entire urinary system such as tuberculosis of the urinary system, it can be caused by diseases of the urethra, bladder, bladder neck, other diseases. gynecological diseases caused by bacteria, fungi,...; Bacterial: A rare cause of recurrent cystitis. Bacteria encountered in cystitis usually originate from the gastrointestinal tract, especially from the colon to the pelvic and urinary areas such as E.coli, Proteus spp, Enterobacter spp,... In addition, Chlamydia fungus trachomatis, Herpes virus,... can also cause cystitis,...; Bad hygiene habits: Lack of hygiene creates favorable conditions for bacteria to grow strongly, easily causing inflammatory diseases in the urinary system and genital organs. However, excessive cleaning or the use of inappropriate products can also cause mechanical trauma and chemical damage to the genital mucosa, causing the healing of bacteria to die, the bacteria that cause damage. more proliferative disease, causing recurrent cystitis. In addition, wearing clothes that are too tight also increase the temperature and humidity in the area, creating favorable conditions for the growth of bacteria that cause inflammation. If the above diseases are not detected or treated thoroughly, but only the symptoms of cystitis are treated, the disease will be difficult to be completely eliminated, and easy to recur when the conditions are favorable.

3. Measures to prevent recurrence of cystitis

Women with recurrent cystitis more than 3 times a year should go to major hospitals to rule out abnormal malformations of the urinary genitals and help definitively treat this disease. In addition, to avoid recurrent cystitis, women should follow these tips:
Should drink 1.5 - 2 liters of water per day; Do not hold urine; Urinate before and after sexual activity; Wear loose, comfortable, sweat-wicking clothes to avoid hot and humid genital area, avoiding the risk of bacteria multiplying; Clean genitals from front to back; Avoid constipation; Do not over-hygiene, do not abuse feminine hygiene water; Maintain hygiene during menstruation; Do not arbitrarily use drugs, especially antibiotics, must be used as prescribed by the doctor to avoid drug resistance and shorten the duration of treatment; Actively examine and treat gynecological and intestinal diseases if any; Treat both husband and wife at the same time if they have a sexually transmitted disease. Completely curing cystitis, preventing recurrence is not difficult if the patient strictly adheres to the doctor's instructions during the course of treatment.
Doctor Vo Thien Ngon has over 7 years of experience working as a urologist and surgeon at Hospitals: Hue Central Hospital, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Tam Tri Da Nang General Hospital .
Doctor Ngon with the ability to specialize in the field of examination and treatment of diseases of the Urology and Andrology system, Urology surgery, endoscopic urological surgery, Laparo urinary tract surgery, endoscopy Urinary. Currently, Dr. Vo Thien Ngon is a Urology - Orthopedic Surgery Doctor, Department of General Surgery, Vinmec Da Nang International Hospital

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.