Haemorrhagic Cystitis

Cystitis is the medical term for a bladder inflammation. It sometimes occurs with urethritis (infected urethra) to form a lower urinary tract infection.

Definition

• Hemorrhagic cystitis is bladder inflammation that also includes blood in the urine (hematuria). The causes and intensity of hematuria along with cystitis can come from a variety of reasons.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of hemorrhagic cystitis include frequent urination, increased urge to urinate, painful urination and red to pink urination. Other symptoms include low back pain, nausea, fever and lower abdominal pain.

Treatment and Prevention

• Common treatments for cystitis are vitamin C, fluid intake and antibiotics. Prevention of cystitis can include fluid intake before sex and going to the bathroom immediately afterward.

Considerations

• People can contract hemorrhagic cystitis if they are undergoing chemotherapy (such as ifosfamide and cyclophosphamide), radiation therapy, are taking antibiotics or have AIDs, bladder cancer, certain viruses (such as papovarius), urinary infections and low platelet count (thrombocytopenia).

Statistics

• Women are the most susceptible to hemorrhagic cystitis because they have a shorter urethra than men.