Urinary tract infections involve the parts of the body -- the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra -- that produce urine and carry it out of the body. Urinary tract infections often are classified into two types based on their location in the urinary tract:
Most cases of urinary tract infections occur in women. Of those that occur in men, relatively few affect younger men. In men older than 50, the prostate gland (a gland near the bottom of the bladder, close to the urethra) can enlarge and block the flow of urine from the bladder. This condition is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH. This condition can prevent the bladder from emptying completely, which increases the likelihood that bacteria will grow and trigger an infection. Cystitis is more common in men who practice anal intercourse and in those who are not circumcised. Other factors that increase the risk of urinary infections include an obstruction, such as that caused by a partial blockage of the urethra known as a stricture, and non-natural substances, such as rubber catheter tubes (as may be inserted to relieve a blockage in the urethra).
Symptoms
A urinary tract infection usually causes one or more of the following symptoms:
Diagnosis
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and about any previous episodes of urinary tract infection. To fully assess your risk factors, your doctor may ask about your sexual history, including your history and your partner's history of sexually transmitted diseases, condom use, multiple partners and anal intercourse.
Your doctor will diagnose a urinary tract infection based on your symptoms and the results of a physical examination and laboratory tests of your urine. In a typical urinary tract infection, your doctor will see both white blood cells (infection-fighting cells) and bacteria when he or she examines your urine under a microscope. Your doctor probably will send your urine to a laboratory to identify the specific type of bacteria and specific antibiotics that can be used to eliminate the bacteria.
In men, a rectal examination will allow your doctor to assess the size and shape of the prostate gland. If you are a young man with no sign of an enlarged prostate, your doctor may order additional tests to search for a urinary tract abnormality that increases the likelihood of infection. This is because urinary tract infections are relatively rare in young men with normal urinary tracts. Additional tests may include intravenous pyelography or a computed tomography (CT) scan, which shows an outline of your urinary tract on X-rays; ultrasound; or cystoscopy, an examination that allows your doctor to inspect the inside of your bladder using a thin, hollow tubelike instrument.
Expected Duration
With proper treatment, most uncomplicated urinary tract infections begin to improve in one to two days.
Prevention
Most urinary tract infections in men cannot be prevented. Practicing safe sex by using condoms will help to prevent infections that are transmitted through sexual contact. In men with benign prostatic hypertrophy, cutting out caffeine and alcohol or taking certain prescription medications may help to improve urine flow and prevent the buildup of urine in the bladder, which increases the likelihood of infection.
Treatment
Doctors treat urinary tract infections with a variety of antibiotics. The results of laboratory tests on your urine can help your doctor pick the best antibiotic for your infection. In general, most uncomplicated lower tract infections will be eliminated completely by 7 to 10 days of treatment. Once you finish taking the antibiotics, your doctor may ask for a repeat urine sample to check that bacteria are gone. If an upper tract infection or infection of the prostate is diagnosed, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics for three weeks or longer.
Men with severe upper tract infections may require hospital treatment and antibiotics given through an intravenous catheter (in a vein). This is especially true when nausea, vomiting and fever increase the risk of dehydration and prevent the use of oral antibiotics.
If you are an older man with an enlarged prostate causing an obstruction in your urine flow, treatment options include medications or prostate surgery.
When To Call a Professional
Call your doctor whenever you have any of the symptoms of a urinary tract infection.
If you are approaching age 50, call your doctor if you notice any of the following: a decrease in the force of your urine stream, difficulty in beginning urination, dribbling after you urinate, or a feeling that your bladder isn't totally empty after you finish urinating. These could be symptoms of an enlarged prostate, a problem that can be treated effectively before it triggers a urinary tract infection.
Prognosis
Most urinary tract infections can be treated easily with antibiotics. In a man who has a urinary tract abnormality or an enlarged prostate, repeated urinary tract infections may occur as long as the underlying problem continues to interfere with the free flow of urine.
Pain is the body's indicator that something may be wrong. Pain in the bladder may indicate an infection.
The most common cause of cystitis (inflammation of the urinary bladder) is infection. Other causes include interstitial cystitis, for which the underlying cause is unknown.
Bacterial cystitis is an inflammation of the urinary bladder caused by bacteria.
Trigonitis is inflammation of the urinary bladder at the trigone.
If it is urinary bladder, then the answer is Cystitis
Interstitial cystitis is the medical term meaning chronic inflammation within the wall of the bladder. This condition is more common in women, and its exact causes are unclear. An affected person may have urinary urgency and frequency, and often pain. The condition is very difficult to treat.
urethrocystitis is inflammation of the urethra and urinary bladder.
Cystitis is inflammation of the urinary bladder. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystitis
It is normally sterile--there is no flora unless it is introduced to the bladder. That's what causes a 'bladder infection'!
The wall of the urinary bladder should not be > 3 mm thick when distended and not > 5 mm thick when decompressed. The thickened wall could be due to the edema (swelling) of the wall which can happen due to the inflammation(cystitis) or the thickening could be due to the deposition of urinary sediments on the walls of the bladder. These are the 2 commonest causes. Bladder cancer is another cause. Generally if you are diagnosed with thickening of the bladder you will be sent to a urologist and have a cystoscopy performed.
Bladder stones usually occur because of urinary tract infection (UTI), obstruction of the urinary tract, enlargement of the prostate gland in men, or the presence of foreign bodies in the urinary tract.
The bladder stores urine before it is urinated out of the body.
urinary bladder is unremarkable
Wiping from back to front after a bowel movement is one common cause of a bladder infection. Also, holding in your urine and unprotected sexual intercourse are other common causes of a bladder infection.