Alternative Names - Urinary Tract Infection (U.T.I.), Cystitis

Cystitis, a common condition, is usually caused by bacteria entering the urethra and then the bladder. This leads to inflammation and infection in the lower urinary tract.

Certain people are more likely to get UTIs. Women tend to get them more often because their urethra is shorter and closer to the anus. Elderly people (especially those in nursing homes) and people with diabetes also get more UTIs.

Some children develop UTIs. In boys, they are most common before the first birthday. In young girls, UTIs are most common around age 3, overlapping with the toilet training period.

Cystitis in children can be promoted by abnormalities in the urinary tract. Therefore, children with cystitis, especially those under age 5, deserve special follow-up to prevent later kidney damage.**

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, TCM practitioners do not focus on treating the symptoms of disease and conditions such as bladder infections, but rather, they work to promote healthy detoxification while restoring balance and harmony within the body and key organs. They try and achieve this goal by encouraging healthy lifestyle changes like supporting a person’s body with diet modifications, herbal supplementation & stress reduction. In TCM, the goal is to provide maximum health support so that the body may better heal itself and maintain optimum health.*

**References

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Evidence-based care guideline for medical management of first urinary tract infection in children 12 years of age or less. Cincinnati (OH): Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; 2006 Nov. 23 p.

Walsh, PC, ed. Campbell’s Urology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2002.

Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2002.