Around 45% to 50% of people experience bladder infections also known as cystitis at least once in their life. It occurs when E. coli bacteria or Escherichia coli enters the urethra, urinary tract, ureters, or kidney and causes an infection. Consequently, inflammation takes place in the internal bladder lining. This infection is pretty common among women compared to men. There are effective options for bladder infections treatment. The following sections will provide a brief overview of the most effective and popular bladder infections treatment options.
Leading causes of bladder infections
The primary reason behind this condition is the entry of the bacteria into the urethra and bladder. The urethra is the organ responsible for taking out urine of your body through the vagina. When E. coli enters the bladder, it stays in the bladder lining and sometimes, moves into the kidneys to cause kidney infection. If you have frequent sexual intercourse, you may become vulnerable to a bladder infection. One increases their chance of suffering from bladder infections when they have sex with a new partner. Moreover, you can also get afflicted with bladder infection if you delay urination after intercourse. Other common causes include diabetes and unusual urinary system changes.
How do you know if you have a bladder infection?
The most common symptoms of a bladder infection are cloudy urine, an unwanted smell in the urine, lower abdomen discomforts, pain or a burning sensation while urinating, frequent urge to urinate, passing limited quantities of urine, and blood in the urine. If you have a kidney infection, you may show these symptoms and may also show signs such as back pain, groin pain, vomiting, and fever. Doctors will analyze the symptoms prior to diagnosing bladder infection and will perform a urinalysis before arriving at a conclusion. Urinalysis refers to a urine test that checks the availability of white blood cells in the urine. If the doctor suspects a kidney infection, he/she will advocate for a urine culture, and it is a laboratory test for finding out different bacteria available in the urine sample.
Some popular bladder infections treatment options
When you are suffering from a bladder infection, doctors will recommend a short course of antibiotics. There can be a difference in bladder infections treatment options but the most common prescriptions are fosfomycin trometamol, nitrofurantoin monohydrate, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. When it comes to fosfomycin trometamol, you have to take three grams in a single dose and as far as nitrofurantoin monohydrate is concerned, the dose should be 100 mg two times a day. For trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, the daily dose is 160 to 800 mg two times a day, depending on the severity of the condition. Doctors always prefer a 3-day course of treatment, and in certain situations, a 7-day course is also advised. The usual side effects associated with these medications are yeast overgrowth, and it can lead to yeast vaginitis or rash. Single dose treatment is prescribed in the cases of some patients, but they often keep the patients susceptible to reoccurrence.
A majority of the patients feel improvement within a day of these bladder infections treatment options. At the same time, you have to take the full course of antibiotics as prescribed by the doctor to get rid of the infection completely. Some people undermine the importance of this aspect, and they may have to deal with the reoccurrence of the bladder infection. Most importantly, treatment becomes a bit harder when the infection returns. If symptoms do not go away after 2 to 3 days, you must contact the doctor immediately.
Antibiotics as a bladder infections treatment option
If you are suffering from more complicated bladder infections, the doctor may recommend taking antibiotics for around 7 to 14 days. Examples of the complicated infections are a kidney infection, bladder infection with diabetes, infections during the pregnancy period, etc. Using antibiotics for 7 to 14 days is always recommended for people suffering from severe urinary infections. When the infection becomes invasive, doctors advise patients to take antibiotics such as beta-lactam or fluoroquinolones. These bladder infections treatment options are beneficial only when you are facing invasive infection, and they are not a good option for addressing mild infections due to the possibility of bacterial resistance.
Doctors also recommend some prevention tips for a bladder infection. You can make some changes to prevent the occurrence of a frequent bladder infection. One of the effective methods is to alter the birth control method. It has been found that woman using a diaphragm and spermicides are more vulnerable to infection. Changing the birth control methods reduce this possibility to a great extent. Another option is to stay hydrated and to urinate immediately after sexual intercourse. It allows you to wash away the bacteria entering in the bladder. Estradiol cream can be applied by postmenopausal women and the risk of infection can be reduced considerably with this vaginal estrogen. You can also try out taking a preventive antibiotic to become better resistance to a bladder infection. This method is advised for people who have been experiencing bladder infections in a repeated manner and only when other preventative measures do not yield any results.