Our urinary tract consists of kidneys, ureter, bladder, and urethra. All of them collectively work together to get rid of wastes from the body. UTI is a broader term to describe the infection which may include any structure from kidneys to urethra. Whereas, cystitis is the infection of bladder and is a type of UTI.
Bacterial cystitis is one of the few kinds of cystitis, while its other types also exist. Cystitis commonly occurs as a result of lower urinary tract infection that affects bladder and urethra. Whereas, upper urinary tract infection hits kidneys. Importantly, cystitis may occur without any infection such as interstitial cystitis.
Symptoms of upper and lower urinary tract infection may be identical, and the symptoms of cystitis are similar to lower urinary tract infection. But kidney infection may become deadly if bacteria enter the bloodstream. It can be manifested as:
- Upper back pain
- Fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Chills
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