Bladder and urinary tract infections are mainly caused by pathogens. As a rule, bacteria are the cause. Women are affected more often than men. The reason for this is their comparatively shorter urethra, which can easily lead to ascending infections. Another trigger for cystitis, however, is psychological stress and the associated weakening of the immune system.
The classic symptoms of acute cystitis include severe pain and burning when urinating, as well as the feeling of a permanent need to urinate and a cramping of the bladder muscles. The symptoms are very unpleasant and lead to a severe impairment of well-being. If insufficient treatment is given, acute cystitis can become chronic. Associated with this are chronic complaints such as, above all, irritable bladder, which is characterized by a frequent need to urinate.
In men, benign enlargement of the prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia) is common from middle age. Increasing narrowing of the urethra as a result can lead to voiding disorders of the urinary bladder. This backlog promotes the occurrence of cystitis.
