Medical Questions » Kidneys and Bladder Questions » Question No. 544
| Question: | My doctor has given me tablets for a pain in my belly that he says is cystitis. What is this disease? |
| Answer: | Uncomfortable, embarrassing and common. Cystitis (a bladder infection) is all three to many women.
Cystitis is one of the most common conditions seen by general practitioners, but some women can barely get away from the toilet for long enough to visit the surgery!
The symptoms of burning pain on passing urine, pain in the pelvis, and the desire to pass urine every 10 minutes that are associated with cystitis are not limited entirely to women, but only 10% of cases occur in men because the longer length of their urethra (the tube leading from the bladder to the outside) gives them considerable protection from infection. When it does affect males, it is often more serious and requires more aggressive investigation and treatment.
Most women will have at least one bladder infection in their lives, and some have repeated attacks that require constant medication to prevent them.
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