Cystitis is inflammation of your bladder or lower urinary tract.
In its chronic version, it is calledinterstitialcystitis.
Treatment varies based on the cause of your problem.
LaylaBird / Getty Images
Infections can be treated withantibiotics.
Home treatments, procedures, and certain drugs can help relieve symptoms.
Cystitis is a condition that only involves your bladder.
By definition, a UTI involves an infection of your urinary tract.
Chronic Cystitis
Cystitis can occur as an acute disease that begins suddenly.
It happens as a result of germs, typically bacteria, that key in your bladder through your urethra.
Cystitis can also occur as a chronic condition that involves long-term inflammation of your bladder.
Chronic cystitis can irritate and inflame your bladder wall, scarring your bladder or making it stiff.
Chronic cystitis involves urinary tract symptoms that last longer than six weeks.
Cystitis can be classified as infectious or noninfectious based on the cause of the condition.
These symptoms can include:
In older adults, cystitis may occur without symptoms common to the condition.
In addition to common symptoms of cystitis, women may also experience pain in the vulva or vagina.
Women may also experience pain that spreads across the abdomen or into the back.
This pain often worsens with a mostly or completely empty bladder.
Symptoms in Males
Cystitis in men becomes more common with age.
If hemorrhagic cystitis is diagnosed, it requires prompt treatment to prevent severe blood loss and permanent bladder damage.
However, there is no single test to diagnose interstitial cystitis.
In addition, symptoms of interstitial cystitis resemble symptoms of other urinary disorders, making diagnosis a challenge.
Diagnostic delays can be avoided by contacting your healthcare provider for an accurate diagnosis.
This also involves following through with your healthcare provider’s recommendations for diagnostic tests.
The appropriate treatment for noninfectious cystitis depends on the cause.
Treatment is based on the punch in and cause of your condition.
Home treatments may help relieve symptoms until the infection clears.
Treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome is more complex since the cause of the condition is not clear.
Its purpose is to decrease muscle tightness and pelvic pain.
Botox injections:Small doses ofBotox(onabotulinumtoxinA) can paralyze the bladder muscles to relieve pain.
Major surgery:Makes permanent physical changes to the bladder.
How to Manage Cystitis Flares
Cystitis flares can differ by individual.
They occur as a sudden increase in the intensity of symptoms even though symptoms previously may be under control.
Common triggers include:
Heat Therapy
Heat therapy can often provide relief of symptoms.
Minor cases may resolve on their own without treatment.
Cystitis that remains untreated may spread to your kidneys and cause an upper urinary tract infection.
This is a more complex condition to treat.
Knowing the symptoms of acute cystitis can help you know when to get help as early as possible.
Having chronic cystitis can be a long-term challenge.
Knowing your triggers and the treatments that work best can help you manage symptoms.
Office on Women’s Health (OASH).Bladder pain.
February 22, 2021.
Urology Care Foundation.Interstitial cystitis.
Yale Medicine.Urinary tract infection.
August 15, 2022.
UpToDate.Patient education: diagnosis of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (Beyond the Basics).
2016;2016:e2082693.
2021;21(6):624. doi: 10.3892/etm.2021.10056
Engin S.Drug-related cystitis: an overview.
In: Palleschi G, Cardi A, eds.Cystitis - Updates and Challenges.
IntechOpen; 2023. doi:10.5772/intechopen.111503
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
Abramowitz DJ, Warner JN.Clinical management of radiation cystitis: a narrative review.AME Medical Journal.
2021;6(0).
August 16, 2022.
Urology Care Foundation.Urinary tract infections in adults.
University of Washington.Interstitial cystitis.
February 27, 2023.
The University of Texas at Austin University Health Services.Urinary tract infections in men.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Interstitial cystitis.
Penn Medicine.Urinary tract infection (UTI).
2021;50(4):199-205. doi: 10.31128/AJGP-11-20-5728
InformedHealth.org.
Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG).Overview: acute cystitis.
February 27, 2023.
Lahey Hospital and Medical Center.Acute cystitis.
2018;37(4):1413-1418. doi:10.1002/nau.23462
Das S.Natural therapeutics for urinary tract infections-a review.Futur J Pharm Sci.
UpToDate.Patient education: treatment of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (Beyond the Basics).
November 29, 2023.
Interstitial Cystitis Association.IC/BPS flares.
