What is a Bladder Infection?

By Ethan Hussong

Bladder infections can cause discomfort, embarrassment, and frustration for people when they get them. In fact, some people might not even know specifically that they have one. They are directly related to urinary tract infections. A Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is an infection anywhere along the urinary tract. The most common UTI is a bladder infection. Another term for this is cystitis, and they have also been referred to as simply an inflammation of the bladder.

What is a UTI? As I already mentioned a Urinary Tract Infection is an infection of any of the parts of the urinary tract. This can include kidneys, urethra, bladder, and ureters. The kidneys are the most important part of the Urinary Tract as they care for all the waste and liquids in our blood that needs to be filtered out. This translates into urine which we excrete to remove. The kidneys also help with the formation of red blood cells.

So what is a bladder infection anyways? UTI's are a huge expense for the world in terms of cost because of their frequency. In fact, there are some that state that UTI's are the second most common type of infection in the world! Cystitis is a UTI where bacteria has simply entered the bladder and multiplied there. Both men and women can get one, although they will tend to not be very serious (especially if treated quickly). For some people this can be a recurring problem though. The slower the initial infection is treated the more likely a person is to get an infection again in the future. If someone has cystitis that goes untreated this could even lead to such things as kidney infections which could leave permanent damage.

Millions of people are affected by a UTI of some sort every year. Women especially are prone to cystitis, but it is also possible for a male to get one as well. Especially as the prostate enlarges in a man they will become more susceptible to a bladder infection. As people age in general their tendency to get a bladder infection also goes up, as well as the ability to identify properly their actual medical problem.

Ethan Hussong is a full-time student, Internet Marketer, Retail Specialist, and general marching arts enthusiast. He grew up surrounded by medicine and health care, and because of that has a passion for helping people.