Diabetics & Bladder Infections

Worries abound for the diabetic---and not just concerning sugar intake. Developing diabetes puts a person at risk for many other conditions, including bladder infections.

Significance

• A 2007 report by the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse estimates that 7.8 percent of the U.S. population has diabetes. More than half suffer from bladder dysfunction because of damage to the nerves that control bladder function. Women are more likely to develop both conditions.

Identification

• Bladder infections, also known as cystitis, develop when harmful bacteria from the digestive system travels up the urethra and into the bladder.

Cause

• Diabetes adversely affects aspects of bodily function that protect against infection. It also affects circulation, which keeps infection-fighting white blood cells from the infected area. If the cells do reach the problem, they are less able to ingest and kill the offending bacteria.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of a bladder infection include a frequent urge to urinate, pain or burning in the bladder during urination, cloudy or reddish urine, pressure above the pubic bone for women and a feeling of fullness in the rectum for men.

Treatment

• The doctor will ask for a urine sample to test for bacteria and pus. He may also ask for an ultrasound, an invtravenous pyelogram to enhance images of the urinary tract or a cystoscopy, which is a look into the inside of the lower urinary tract, to further investigate the problem