What happens if cystitis is left untreated?
If left untreated, cystitis can progress into a kidney infection (pyelonephritis). The bacteria causing the infection can travel from the bladder up into one or both kidneys, causing a kidney infection. This often presents as pain in the back or side, along with fever, shivering and other symptoms of cystitis, such as burning urine.
What happens if cystitis doesn’t go away?
If a cystitis infection doesn't go away on its own, it can progress to a kidney infection, as mentioned above. The most common scenario is that cystitis goes away with treatment, whether using herbal medicines or antibiotics, but then it often comes back again and again. If you get cystitis more than three times a year, it is considered to be recurrent cystitis.
This is when preventative measures become really important. Drinking lots of water can help prevent recurrent infection and cranberry juice or supplements can be helpful too. To find out more about how to prevent cystitis, check out our blog on the topic: "Preventing Cystitis"
How long can cystitis last?
Cystitis refers to inflammation of the bladder, often - but not always - caused by an infection. Mild infections or inflammation can go away on their own. The pharmaceutical treatment is usually antibiotics, and they work well to eradicate the infection. However, there can be problems with taking antibiotics regularly. Therefore, as many women are prone to recurrent infections, they often look for a natural treatment. If you want to learn how to get to rid of a UTI without antibiotics, please check out my blog: "How to get rid of a UTI without antibiotics."
Herbal and dietary approaches, including using herbs with antibiotic properties, can get rid of an infection in 3-4 days.
Herbal remedies for recurrent cystitis
For recurrent cystitis, herbal remedies like Uva-ursi and Echinacea can help the body to get rid of an infection.
Uva ursi
Uva-ursi, also known as bearberry, is a traditional herbal remedy for treating UTIs. It's fast-acting and has an antibacterial effect directly within the urinary tract. Unlike antibiotics, it does not trigger thrush.
The antibiotic properties seem to be due to a compound called arbutin; but, as it is a whole plant extract, it has lots of other side benefits too, rather than side effects. It has astringent properties and contains allantoin, which helps to heal inflamed and irritated urinary passages.
It is recommended to take Uva-ursi for one week, and symptoms should start to improve after just 4 days of use. If symptoms do not improve it is important to see your doctor.
Echinacea
Echinacea is a great antibacterial and anti-inflammatory herb, which is used to treat many infections. It is well-known as a remedy for colds and flu, but it is also effective in treating urinary tract infections. Its antibacterial properties help to fight the infection, and its anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting properties will help prevent a reoccurrence.
Can cystitis be life threatening?
Cystitis itself is not life-threatening. If it progresses to a kidney infection and still does not receive the necessary treatment, then it can lead to life-threatening kidney failure. Correct treatment is therefore extremely important. However, thanks to modern medicine there are so many opportunities for intervention and treatment that a cystitis infection is not considered life-threatening. And thanks to our bodies, which give us signals in the form of symptoms, it is unlikely that a UTI would ever go so far as to kill you! If the symptoms of cystitis aren't warning enough, the symptoms of a kidney infection will certainly make you feel sick enough to get some medical support!
Overall, in a review of the medical literature, it was found that "The weight of the evidence favours the conclusion that, although urinary tract infections can severely impair renal function, this is rare."(1)
