Bladder infection symptoms & why women have more bladder infections than men?

Bladder infections are known as cystitis or inflammation of the bladder. They are common in women and slightly less common in men. The NHS estimates that half of all women in the UK will have a UTI at least once in their life, and 1 in 2,000 healthy men will develop one each year.

Bladder Infections Symptoms

• Urinary urgency
• Pain and burning during urination
• Needing to urinate frequently at night
• Pain and or dragging feeling in the lower abdomen
• Blood in the urine either visible or microscopic
• Urine that is cloudy smells foul or unusually strong
• A bladder infection in a child may have new episodes of bed-wetting as the only symptom.

Why do women have more bladder infections then men?

Doctors aren’t sure exactly why women have many more bladder infections than men. They suspect it may be because women have a shorter urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the bladder. This relatively short passageway - only about an inch and a half long - makes it easier for bacteria to find their way into the bladder.

Once there, and they find a docking port, and start to multiply. And that’s when the trouble begins. They burrow their way into the walls of the bladder, which somehow doesn’t recognise them as enemies, and embraces them and even protects them with “biofilms” news.wustl.edu...2096.aspx. This can make them very difficult to get rid of without D-Mannose . The fact that they bury themselves into the bladder wall is a major contributory factor to repeat attacks of cystitis.

Bladder infections are not serious if treated right away. But they tend to come back in some people. Rarely, this can lead to kidney infections, which are more serious and may result in permanent kidney damage. So it’s very important to treat the underlying causes of a bladder infection and to take preventive steps to keep them from coming back.

Bladder infections in the elderly are often difficult to diagnose. The symptoms are less specific and are frequently blamed on ageing. Older people who suddenly become incontinent or who shows signs of lethargy or confusion should be checked by a doctor for a bladder infection.