Can men/children get cystitis?

Yes, but it’s not as common in men or in children as in women.

Cystitis is an infection of the bladder caused by bacteria from nearby skin travelling up the urinary tract and growing in the bladder. Bacteria from the colon are common culprits. Women get cystitis more often than men because the opening of the female urinary tract is nearer to their anus than the end of the male’s penis is to their anus. There is therefore a shorter way for the bacteria to travel to the bladder.

When men get cystitis it is often due to an enlarged prostate, known as Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy or BPH. The prostate gland is a male organ, absent in women. Benign (non-cancerous) enlargement of the prostate gland occurs to some degree in most men as they age, and if cystitis is experienced in a man of 50 or over then it is worth checking for BPH with the doctor. BPH can be treated very simply.

Younger men may experience cystitis alongside prostatitis, which is a bacterial infection of the prostate gland. This can be treated with antibiotics.

Children are less likely to experience cystitis than adults because they are less likely to have sex - one of the key risk factors for causing cystitis.

Another factor that increases the likelihood of cystitis in older people is that the skin becomes atrophied and drier and therefore more easily damaged and less resistant to infection.

Children with cystitis should be seen by a doctor.