Cystitis - noninfectious
Abacterial cystitis; Radiation cystitis; Chemical cystitis; Urethral syndrome - acute; Bladder pain syndrome; Painful bladder disease complex; Dysuria - noninfectious cystitis; Frequent urination - noninfectious cystitis; Painful urination - noninfectious
Cystitis is a problem in which pain, pressure, or burning in the bladder is present. Most often, this problem is caused by germs such as bacteria . Cystitis may also be present when there is no infection.
This problem is caused by germs such as...
Acute cystitis is an infection of the bladder or lower urinary tract. Acute means that the infection begins suddenly.
Causes
The exact cause of noninfectious cystitis is often unknown. It is common in women of childbearing age.
The problem has been linked to:
- Use of baths and feminine hygiene sprays
- Use of spermicide jellies, gels, foams, and sponges
-
Radiation therapy
to the pelvis area
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-powered x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells.
-
Certain types of
chemotherapy
drugs
Chemotherapy
The term chemotherapy is used to describe cancer-killing drugs. Chemotherapy may be used to:Cure the cancerShrink the cancerPrevent the cancer from ...
- History of severe or repeated bladder infections
Certain foods, such as tomatoes, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, chocolate, and alcohol, can cause bladder symptoms.
The same symptoms are present with something called painful bladder syndrome or interstitial cystitis .
Interstitial cystitis
Interstitial cystitis is a long-term (chronic) problem in which pain, pressure, or burning is present in the bladder. It is also called painful blad...
Symptoms
Common symptoms include:
- Pressure in the lower pelvis
-
Painful urination
Painful urination
Painful urination is any pain, discomfort, or burning sensation when passing urine.
-
Frequent need to urinate
Frequent need to urinate
Frequent urination means needing to urinate more often than usual. Urgent urination is a sudden, strong urge to urinate. This causes a discomfort i...
-
Urgent need to urinate
Urgent need to urinate
Frequent urination means needing to urinate more often than usual. Urgent urination is a sudden, strong urge to urinate. This causes a discomfort i...
- Problems holding urine
-
Need to urinate at night
Need to urinate at night
Normally, the amount of urine your body produces decreases at night. This allows most people to sleep 6 to 8 hours without having to urinate. Some p...
-
Abnormal urine color
, cloudy urine
Abnormal urine color
The usual color of urine is straw-yellow. Abnormally colored urine may be cloudy, dark, or blood-colored.
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Blood in the urine
Blood in the urine
Blood in your urine is called hematuria. The amount may be very small and only detected with urine tests or under a microscope. In other cases, the...
- Foul or strong urine odor
Other symptoms may include:
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Penile pain
-
Flank pain
Flank pain
Flank pain is pain in one side of the body between the upper belly area (abdomen) and the back.
-
Fatigue
Fatigue
Fatigue is a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy.
Exams and Tests
A urinalysis may reveal red blood cells (RBCs) and some white blood cells (WBCs). Urine may be examined under a microscope to look for cancerous cells.
Urinalysis
Urinalysis is the physical, chemical, and microscopic examination of urine. It involves a number of tests to detect and measure various compounds th...
A urine culture (clean catch) is done to look for a bacterial infection.
Urine culture (clean catch)
A urine culture is a lab test to check for bacteria or other germs in a urine sample. It can be used to check for a urinary tract infection in adults...
A cystoscopy (use of lighted instrument to look inside the bladder) may be done if you have:
Cystoscopy
Cystoscopy is a surgical procedure. This is performed to see the inside of the bladder and urethra using a telescope.
- Symptoms related to radiation therapy or chemotherapy
- Symptoms that do not get better with treatment
- Blood in the urine
Treatment
The goal of treatment is to manage your symptoms.
This may include:
- Medicines to help your bladder contract and empty. These are called anticholinergic drugs. Possible side effects include slowed heart rate , low blood pressure, increased thirst, and constipation.
- Muscle relaxers to reduce the strong urge to urinate or need to urinate frequently.
- A medicine called pyridium to help relieve bladder pain.
- Medicines to help reduce pain.
- Surgery is rarely done. It may be performed if a person has symptoms that do not go away with other treatments, trouble passing urine, or blood in the urine.
Other things that may help include:
- Avoiding foods and fluids that irritate the bladder. These include spicy foods and alcohol, citrus juices, and caffeine, and foods that contain them.
- Performing bladder training exercises to help you schedule times to try to urinate and to delay urination at all other times. One method is to force yourself to delay urinating despite the urge to urinate in between these times. As you become better at waiting this long, slowly increase the time intervals by 15 minutes. Try to reach a goal of are urinating every 3 to 4 hours.
-
Pelvic muscle strengthening exercises called
Kegel exercises
to help relieve symptoms of urgency.
Kegel exercises
Pelvic floor muscle training exercises are a series of exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor.
Outlook (Prognosis)
Most cases of cystitis are uncomfortable, but the symptoms most often get better over time.
Possible Complications
Complications may include:
- Ulceration of bladder wall
-
Urethral stricture
Urethral stricture
Urethral stricture is an abnormal narrowing of the urethra. Urethra is the tube that carries urine out of the body from the bladder.
- Diminished bladder capacity
-
Anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells provide oxygen to body tissues. Different type...
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Call your health care provider if:
- You have symptoms of cystitis.
-
If you have been diagnosed with cystitis and your symptoms get worse, or you have new symptoms, especially
fever
, blood in the urine, back or
flank pain
, and
vomiting
.
Fever
Fever is the temporary increase in the body's temperature in response to a disease or illness. A child has a fever when the temperature is at or abov...
Flank pain
Flank pain is pain in one side of the body between the upper belly area (abdomen) and the back.
Vomiting
Nausea is feeling an urge to vomit. It is often called "being sick to your stomach. "Vomiting or throwing-up is forcing the contents of the stomach ...
Prevention
Avoid products that may irritate the bladder such as:
- Bubble baths
- Feminine hygiene sprays
- Tampons (especially scented products)
- Spermicidal jellies
If you need to use such products, try to find those that do not cause irritation for you.
References
Carter C. Urinary tract disorders. In: Rakel RE, Rakel D, eds. Textbook of Family Medicine . 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 40.
Hanno PM. Painful bladder syndrome (interstitial cystitis) and related disorders. In: Wein AJ, Kavoussi LR, Partin AW, Peters CA, eds. Campbell-Walsh Urology . 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 14.
Review Date: 3/28/2016
Reviewed By: Scott Miller, MD, urologist in private practice in Atlanta, GA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.