Cystitis is an acute or chronic inflammation of the bladder, is leading to frequent urination, painful and dark urine.

Cystitis symptoms, causes and how to prevent symptoms of cystitis:

• Increased frequency of urination is accompanied by a burning sensation.
• Severe pain on the bladder.
• Burning and difficulty urinating.
• You may experience fever and back pain, especially if the infection has spread to the kidneys.
• It may also be present turbidity of urine.

Causes of Cystitis:

Cystitis is usually caused by an infection of the bladder, which usually originates in the urethra.

• occurs when certain bacteria enter the urethra or bladder, causing infection and inflammation.
• Over 90% of cystitis are caused by Escherichia coli, a bacterium that is common to find in the intestine.

Factors that increase the risk of cystitis:

• Introduction of instruments in the urinary tract (catheterization or cystoscopy).
• Not drinking enough fluids.
• A history of analgesic nephropathy.
• Pregnancy.
• HIV
• Diabetes.
• reflux nephropathy.
• Sexual intercourse may increase the risk of cystitis in women because bacteria can enter through the urethra.
• Obstruction of the bladder or urethra.

How to prevent cystitis:

Cystitis is a miserable disease, which can be prevented by following some simple recommendations:

• Drink 2 to 3 liters of water daily.
• Try to avoid situations of tension and stress, because these conditions lead to decrease the body’s defenses and gain more bacteria
• Do not stay too long in a wet bathing suit.
• After a bowel movement, you should wipe from front to back to avoid contaminating the entrance of the urethra with faucal remains, in the case of women.
• Try to avoid vaginal deodorants and bubble baths, cleaning techniques that stimulate the growth of harmful microorganisms.
• If used as a contraceptive diaphragm, it may be advisable to change to another method to prevent pregnancy.
• Do not hold the urge to urinate, because this situation encourages the growth of bacteria.

A study finds that most are harmless, but the reaction induced by heparin could be serious

A recent study suggests that heparin, a common blood thinner, can cause harmless skin lesions in most cases, but could indicate a dangerous condition induced by this drug.

The researchers examined 320 people who received injections of heparin at a hospital in Germany. Of these, 7.5 percent developed skin lesions as a result of treatment. This rate is two percent higher than researchers had anticipated.

“During the study, we were surprised by the high number of patients with heparin-induced damage,” wrote the study authors. “In most patients, the diagnosis was made thanks to our review.”

The researchers found that in most cases, the injuries resulted from an allergic reaction. Women were more likely to have the reaction, and three factors (pregnancy, obesity and the use of heparin in the long term) resulted in a much higher probability of the condition, the study found.

The authors suggested that physicians should be aware of that might appear in the skin lesions and they need to find the cause. The lesions may be a sign, they said, in a serious condition called “heparin-induced thrombocytopenia”, which decreases the number of blood platelets.

The study findings appear in the September 28 edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.