cystitis Flashcards
what are the main symptoms of cytitis?
o Pain, burning or stinging when you pee
o Urinary urgency
o Urine that’s dark, cloudy or strong smelling
o Lower abdominal pain
o Achy and lethargic
o A high temperature of 38°C or above
o Children may sometimes present with agitation and a loss of appetite
what are the red flags of cytitis?
- No improvement within 3 days
- Recurrent episodes
- Blood in the urine
- Pain in the lower back region
- Persistent high temperature
- Pregnant women
- Men and children
what is the life style advice of cytitis?
• Drink plenty of water (this may help flush the infection out of your bladder and some people find it helpful, although evidence for this is lacking)
• Don’t have sex until you’re feeling better as it may make the condition worse
• Cranberry juice or using products that lowers the acidity of urine (such as sodium bicarbonate or potassium citrate) may reduce the symptoms, but there’s a lack of evidence
to suggest they’re effective
what are the drug treatment options for cytitis?
- Paracetamol and ibuprofen to for analgesia and antipyretic purposes
- Potassium or sodium citrate sachets can be bought GSL, =
who cannot buy potassium citrate sachets OTC?
men children under 16 years diabetes heart disease hypertension renal disease pregnancy and breastfeeding
who cannot buy sodium citrate sachets for OTC?
children under 6 years
history of renal disease
pregnancy and breastfeeding
how long should you wait to refer a patient for cytitis?
It is important to understand that if symptoms do not improve naturally over the course of 3 days, with or without having attempted the treatment options above, patients should be referred to the GP for further investigation.
