Women are most susceptible to urinary tract infections because of the short urethra. Scar tissue on the wall of the urethra or of the bladder after an infection may make someone more susceptible to future infections. Hygiene, diet, stress, and intercourse can contribute to cystitis. It may be caused by congenital factors such as a misshapen urethra. Bacteremia is relatively common as side effect of infection, after surgery, or when using intravenous drugs.
Symptoms vary widley, and include fever, wide variations in urine volume, nausea, vomiting.
If bacteremia is associated with clinical manifestations of blood infection, it is called septicemia . Septicemia may lead to septic shock , the symptoms of which are tachycardia, tachypnea, hypotension, and loss of mental acuity. Prolonged septic shock leads to renal failure, congestive heart failure, respiratory insufficiency, coma, and death. Diagnosis of cystitis is made by a cystoscopy . A cystoscope is inserted up the urethra to the bladder.