The urinary tract system includes the kidneys, which make urine. Urine drains via two tubes into the bladder. The bladder passes urine through the urethra. Cystitis is inflammation of the bladder. It can cause a number of painful symptoms including an urgent need to urinate and pain upon urination. The cause of cystitis determines how the cystitis is treated.
Unknown
Interstitial cystitis is cystitis that has no known cause. It can be, however, be caused by an allergy, an autoimmune problem and certain foods. Ratner and colleagues in an August 1999 article in the "Journal of Urology," estimate that 700,000 women in the United States may suffer from interstitial cystitis.
Infection
Bacteria can enter the bladder and cause cystitis and a urine infection. Foxman and colleagues estimated in a November 2000 article in the "Annals of Epidemiology" that in 1995, 11.3 million women in the United States had an antibiotic treated urinary tract infection. In a March 1990 article in the "American Journal of Public Health" Foxman noted that quarter of women had a recurring infection within six months of the original infection, even after appropriate treatment. Rosen and colleagues in a December 2007 article in "PLoS Medicine" concluded that bacteria can enter the cells of the bladder and avoid both the immune system and antibiotics, resulting in recurrent cystitis and infections.
Medications
A number of prescribed medications can cause cystitis symptoms. Manikandan and colleagues in the "Indian Journal of Urology" in June 2010 reviewed a number of treatments that cause cystitis. They found that a number of chemotherapy agents, such as cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide, cause cystitis, as do drugs such as penicillin and its derivatives, as well as others. Reviewing the literature, they also found that pelvic radiation for cancers of the pelvis can also cause cystitis.
Medical Conditions
Other conditions, such as Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis, can cause cystitis. Some cancers, including cancers of the bladder, can also lead to cystitis-like symptoms. Menopausal women can suffer from recurring bouts of cystitis due to the reduced estrogen, which can affect tissues in the urinary system.
References
- "Journal of Urology"; Epidemiology of Interstitial Cystitis: A Population Based Study; Ratner V, et al.; August 1999
- "Annals of Epidemiology"; Urinary Tract Infection:Self-Reported Incidence and Associated Costs; Foxman B, et al.; November 2000
- "American Journal of Public Health"; Recurring urinary Tract Infection: Incidence and Risk Factors; Foxman B; March 1990
- "PLoS Medicine"; Detection of Intracellular Bacterial Communities in Human Urinary Tract Infection; Rosen DA, et al.; December 2007
- "Indian Journal of Urology"; Hemorrhagic Cystitis: A Challenge to the Urologist; Manikandan A, et al.; June 2010
