Cystitis in Women: Focus

Abstract

Urinary tract infections are one of the most common conditions in medical practice, especially in general medicine. Whether it is uncomplicated adolescent cystitis after first sexual intercourse, postmenopausal infection or recurrent cystitis at any age, lower urinary tract infection disrupts the quality of life for many women. Despite the often multifactorial origin, each woman has a very specific reason for developing cystitis and it is necessary to look for the trigger (s) [1]. The reason for consultation is most often simple dysuria (difficulty voiding), but can also present in 2 to 5% of cases in the form of urgency voiding or pollakiuria [2]. The prevalence figures for acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection range from 30 to 50 per thousand in adult women [3]. As the risk of urinary tract infection increases with age, half of women develop symptomatic infection at least once [4], but only half of them will see them [5]. However, apart from the significant physical and psychological disturbances that can cause a urinary tract infection, especially recurrent, it should be known that there is no medical condition which requires so many consultations, bacteriological examinations and antibiotic prescriptions than cystitis [6].