Inflammation

They belong to the really agonizing complaints: the symptoms of cystitis. For anatomical reasons, women suffer much more frequently from it than men, for some so often that pain, cramps and burning when urinating severely impair their quality of life.

If suffering from cystitis or bladder infection, pain and inflammation inhibitors such as Ibuprofen may be sufficient. Antibiotics are no longer the first-choice remedy. However, they are always called for, if feeling severely ill, if the body temperature rises and blood occurs in the urine.

Women, who fall ill more often, are advised to observe which factors may be enhancing the inflammation, for example sexual intercourse, excessive genital hygiene and the decrease in oestrogens during menopause.

Questions and information

• What symptoms do you have?
• Have you had cystitis more often?
• If so, do you know the reason for this?
• Did you recently catch a cold or did you not change your wet bathing suit soon enough, or sit on a cold surface?
• Are the symptoms confined to the lower abdomen?
• Does your urine show a reddish colour, do you have a temperature and/or pain in the kidney area?
• Ibuprofen stops the pain and eases the inflammation. To support this, you can also take herbal remedies. I can recommend a suitable one.
• If the symptoms get worse, please see a doctor.
• In the case of a temperature and blood in the urine, you must see a doctor urgently as you need an antibiotic.

Additional information

• Please drink one and a half to two litres fluid in the course of a day.
• Keep yourself warm and lie down if possible.
• Do not do anything that would irritate the bladder until the inflammation has been healed. This also includes sexual intercourse.
• To prevent a renewed bladder infection keep the abdomen warm, at night for example with a hot-water bottle, drink sufficient fluid, go to the toilet after sexual intercourse.
• Some medicines can prevent cystitis. To be effective, however, they have to be taken regularly.
• If a bladder infection occurs frequently, oestrogens may also play an important role. Consult your gynaecologist on this matter.
• If cystitis occurs frequently, strengthen your immune system by having hot and cold showers, visiting the sauna and moving about in the fresh air.