Cystitis: 7 symptoms not to miss

One in ten women suffer from cystitis each year, according to health insurance. This is a urinary infection localized in the bladder and is caused, in 90% of cases, by the bacteria Escherichia Coli.

Cystitis: rrecognize the symptoms

The symptoms of cystitis are not always the same from one patient to another and are not always specific, like fever. You must therefore know them in order to interpret them as quickly as possible and start treatment. According to the Vidalif “In most cases, cystitis does not cause complications.s”, these infections can however “go up and reach the kidney.“

The seven most common symptoms of cystitis are:

• A pressing and very recurring urge to urinate.
• Small amounts of urine are passed each time you use the toilet.
• Pain and/or burning when urinating.
• Cloudy urine that sometimes smells bad.
• Blood in the urine: the urine can be red, but also sometimes pink or brown.
• Pelvic pain: that is to say localized in the lower part of the abdomen.
• A mild fever: it is generally below 38°C.

There Mayo Clinic specifies that “Symptoms may depend on which part of the urinary tract is affected. If you experience pain in your back or sides, it may be due to a kidney infection. If the pain is in the lower abdomen, a bladder infection may be the cause.“

Cystist: a screening test available in pharmacies

The procedure for carrying out the urinary infection screening test was simplified in November 2023. If you are a woman between 16 and 65 years old and you have symptoms, you can go to a pharmacy to do so. Pharmacists are, in fact, now authorized to offer it.

“The screening consists of a urine test. The pharmacist checks the patient’s symptoms to ensure that she does not show any signs of seriousness (fever, hypothermia, etc.). The patient is given a vial and can use the pharmacy toilets”explains communicated. If the test carried out using a urine strip is positive, the pharmacist will refer you to your general practitioner or midwife. The result is known within a few minutes.

The authorities specify that this screening is contraindicated if the patient :

• is pregnant or there is a risk of pregnancy;
• had a urinary infection in the last 15 days;
• has had more than three episodes of urinary tract infection in the past 12 months.

Moreover, health insurance recommends consulting your doctor or midwife during the day in case of fever with chills, pregnancy, pain in the back or side, chronic illness or if you are over 75 years old.