It can be an uncomfortable holiday companion, and make the days you dream about under the beach umbrella, between the sea and the shoreline, more complicated. Summer is cystitis time, especially for the female population. According to estimates, at least one woman in 3 has suffered from it in her life and among these there are those who encounter recurrent forms. “Cystitis, annoying episodes of urinary tract infections that affect women more easily, are much more frequent in the summer for many reasons – explains to Adnkronos Salute Matteo Bassetti, director of Infectious Diseases at the San Martino Polyclinic Hospital in Genoa – People drink less water, generally have more sexual intercourse” during the holiday season “and cystitis, in sexually active women, is often directly related to sexual intercourse”.
Other conditions that increase the risk of getting cystitis are for example “a wet swimsuit – Bassetti lists again – or particularly tight clothing that is perhaps used more in the summer, all factors that evidently increase the risk of these infections that can be really annoying, especially in women”. The symptoms? Alarm bells are the classic burning, or pain, when you pee; difficulty urinating and frequent and urgent need; but also a feeling of heaviness on the bladder, in the lower abdomen, and of not completely emptying and visually cloudy urine can also be observed. The discomfort can be significant, observes the infectious disease specialist, underlining the importance of not neglecting this problem, because often these episodes of cystitis “lead to an excessive use of antibiotics, even self-prescription – warns the specialist – Unfortunately today urinary infections are one of the areas in which we most easily have bacteria resistant to antibiotics, need for hospitalization and so on. So we must be very careful”, he warns.
The expert also addresses the issue in a Facebook post dedicated to summer cystitis, in which he gives some advice “to try to prevent it: drink at least 2 liters of water a day – he suggests – follow a diet rich in vitamins and antioxidants such as fruit and vegetables; avoid sugary foods and carbonated drinks; do physical activity regularly; drink lots of water; limit the consumption of coffee, alcohol, sweets or overly seasoned foods; do not hold in your pee; do not wear tight synthetic clothing or spend the day in a wet swimsuit”. And finally: “In the event of an episode of cystitis, it is very important to do a urine culture before starting the antibiotic (it is better to avoid doing it yourself)”.
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