Urinary tract infection is an infection that occurs in any part of the urinary system, such as urethra, bladder or kidneys. It is mainly caused by E.coli bacteria present in the body. Among all types of UTI, Bladder infection is the most prevalent. Women have higher chances of UTI, as compared to males and the statistics reveal that 40% of the women and 12% of men suffer from bladder infection once in their lifetime as, due to the smaller size of urethra in females, bacteria do not have to travel longer.

In this article we are going to talk about Urinary bladder and different types of infections related to it.

What Is Urinary Bladder and How The Infection Occurs?

Urinary bladder is a muscular sac or bag that stores urine. While urinating the muscles relax and the urine is transferred into the urethra, which then allows the passage of  urine outside the body. 

As mentioned above, bladder infection takes place when the bacteria enter into the urinary tract by the medium of urethra and starts multiplying there. The bacteria then gets attached to the wall of the bladder and leads to swelling, which is known as cystitis. Sometimes the bacteria also gets transferred from the bladder to the kidneys, causing a kidney infection. Though the structure of the urinary bladder does not permit the entry of such foreign invaders, sometimes the function fails.

What Are The Different Types Of Bladder Infections?

Cystitis can be acute or Intestinal. Acute cystitis is the one that occurs suddenly and the Intestinal cystitis is due to the bacteria. Though the most common type of cystitis is by bacteria, there are other types of cystitis as well. Let us study them in detail.

1. Bacterial Cystitis:

Bacterial Cystitis as we all know mainly occurs due the entrance of bacteria in the body. When the bacteria moves into the bladder it results in swelling. It gets attached to the wall of the bladder, starts growing and multiplying, which causes inflammation. Though it mainly occurs in women due to the sexual intercourse but it might also affect girls and sexually inactive children. The ones suffering from this are generally given antibiotics for the treatment. Your doctor might advise you to take a dose of three days to a week, based on how severe your infection is. If you properly take the prescribed dose then your infection will be cured completely.

1. Drug Related Cystitis: 

Certain types of drugs might also lead to Cystitis. Most common types of drugs that lead to swelling are oxazaphosphorine-alkylating substances, ifosfamide and cyclophosphamide. Excessive consumption of Alcohol might also have a very bad impact on not only the urinary system but also the kidneys. Abuse of alcohol also damages the liver, which then directly impacts the bladder leading to inflammation. These substances dehydrate the body which then causes swelling in the whole  tract. Cocaine is another harmful substance. It breaks the tissues of muscles, increases the toxicity level of blood and then damages the bladder and causes Kidney failure in severe cases.

1. Radiation Cystitis: 

If you have undergone radiation therapy there are chances of having cystitis right after the treatment. It is not serious and can easily be treated. However, severe conditions may also occur after 6 months to 20 years after the therapy. It happens when your bladder is exposed to these as it causes inflammation and damage to the organ. If you underwent radiotherapy recently and your Urine looks cloudy, has a foul smell, experiencing pain and irritation while urinating, it’s a sign you should see the doctor.

1. Foreign Body Cystitis:

 This type of Cystitis is very rare. For instance, in one of the cases a piece of wood entered into the body and got struck with the urinary bladder and led to swelling. This is something which does not happen quite often. It mainly occurs due to the domestic abuse of the patients with psychiatric problems. In adults they get identified at early stages but might go unnoticed in kids. The treatment in the first instance involves the removal of the substance that caused the problem. Most of the cases are cured using less complicated techniques and surgery is not commonly required.

1. Chemical Cystitis:

 Bladder might also get swollen up due to the intentional or accidental consumption of various chemical compounds. Most prevalent Cystitis causing chemicals include chemotherapy drugs such as cyclophosphamide, ketamine etc. It might also occur due to the hypersensitivity towards the basic products such as gels and soaps. Using these chemicals might cause an allergic reaction to the bladder that might lead to swelling. Research on the  treatment of this problem is still going on and has not been widely accepted yet. In the majority of the situations it’s not easy to get it treated.

Conclusion And Suggestions

Urinary infections are quite common in present times. It’s always better to take precautions than dealing with the treatment when you have it. As UTIs are much more common in women, they must take more precautions as compared to men. It is suggested that consuming cranberry juice is really beneficial in this case. It contains elements that prevent the attaching of E.Coli to the walls. But, recent studies reveal that it is not very effective. 

There are various suggestions you must consider in order to prevent the problem.

• You should never hold up your urine when you feel an urge to do so.
• Drink enough glasses of water for the proper passage.
• It is better to wear cotton clothes rather than nylon.
• If you are hypersensitive, it’s better to avoid soaps and gels that have strong odour. 
• Maintain personal hygiene by keeping your genitals clean.
• It’s better to urinate after intercourse to prevent infection by the bacteria.
• In case you are suffering from this product, you should avoid the consumption of caffeine related beverages and spicy items.
• Some of the natural remedies involve taking D-mannose, which has been found effective in removing gram negative bacterias such as E.Coli