How common is the symptom Bladder infection among people with endometriosis?
53,17% of people with endometriosis reported Bladder infection as a symptom of endometriosis in our survey.
How common is the symptom Bladder infection among people with endometriosis compared to the non-affected group?
7,90% of people with endometriosis suffer from the symptom Bladder infection very strong compared to a prevalence of 1,26% among non-affected individuals.
The following table shows the symptom Bladder infection in people with endometriosis compared to non-affected individuals. The scale ranges from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very strong).
| Symptom severity | Endometriosis | Non-affected | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| not at all | 46,83% | 74,84% | -28,01% |
| slightly | 17,59% | 18,24% | -0,65% |
| moderate | 15,57% | 5,03% | 10,54% |
| strong | 12,11% | 0,63% | 11,48% |
| very strong | 7,90% | 1,26% | 6,64% |
Based on the datasets, we calculated the Kendall correlation. The following symptoms could be related to Bladder infection.
| Symptom name | Correlation |
|---|---|
| Pain during urination | moderate correlation (34,00%) |
| Blood in urine | moderate correlation (33,00%) |
| Urge to urinate without passing urine | weak correlation (24,00%) |
| Kidney pain | weak correlation (20,00%) |
A bladder infection is characterized by pain or burning during urination, frequent urge to urinate, and lower abdominal pain. Women are affected by bladder infections significantly more often than men, because the female urethra is much shorter than in men, allowing bacteria to reach the bladder more easily. However, especially if you have endometriosis, the symptoms above are not necessarily caused by a bacterial bladder infection: they may be direct consequences of endometriosis or due to interstitial cystitis (non-bacterial bladder inflammation).
In endometriosis, lesions of endometrial-like tissue grow outside the uterus. Although these growths are benign, they can trigger numerous symptoms. Endometriotic lesions primarily grow in the pelvis but can also affect other organs. Lesions can also develop on the bladder and ureters. Bladder endometriosis can cause the following symptoms:
The symptoms therefore closely resemble those of a typical bacterial bladder infection. Because only around two percent of women with endometriosis have bladder involvement, bladder endometriosis is usually recognized late. Diagnosis is made by ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, or cystoscopy and/or laparoscopy. During these procedures, tissue samples can be taken and examined in the laboratory.
Interstitial cystitis is a chronic, non-contagious bladder inflammation. Among women with endometriosis, depending on the study, 30 to 60 percent also have interstitial cystitis. In interstitial cystitis, the bladder mucosa is compromised, allowing irritating substances to reach the bladder wall and thereby cause symptoms that resemble those of a bacterial bladder infection.
Conclusion: If you have endometriosis and experience symptoms of a bladder infection, it is often not a bacterial bladder infection but rather the effects of bladder endometriosis or interstitial cystitis.