2024-01-12 06:39:26
Excellent news for women prone to cystitis! They can take a test in a pharmacy and benefit from treatment without going to the doctor.
Dr Charlotte Tourmente
Written on 01/12/2024
Urine strips are quick tests to diagnose cystitis. —Shutterstock
Between 20 and 50 years old, cystitis are 50 times more common in women than at men’s. They cause burning or pain when urinating, the urge to urinate very often but in very small quantities, or a weight in the lower abdomen.
Treatment, which targets the bacteria responsible for the infection, must be rapid.
Good news, urine screening tests in pharmacies will make treatment easier and faster for women.
How it works ?
For these tests, it is necessary to differentiate between two scenarios.
First scenario: you have not seen your doctor or midwife.
Go directly to the pharmacist who checks that the symptoms are indeed those of a urinary infection but without signs of seriousness, such as a temperature of more than 38°C or less than 36°C, pain in the kidneys ( raising suspicion of pyelonephritis) or abdominal. If the symptoms are suggestive of a urinary infection, the pharmacist will do a “urinary test”.
Little known to the general public, it is a strip impregnated with reagents (leukocytes and nitrites) to be soaked for two minutes in a bottle previously filled with urine. If the presence of leukocytes and nitrites is detected, this confirms the presence of bacteria.
It is therefore necessary to go to the doctor or midwife to receive a prescription for a urine test and appropriate treatment.
Second scenario: you have consulted a doctor or midwife.
He or she can now give you a “conditional order”. Which means that the pharmacist can do the urine test and if the test is positive, he will give you the appropriate antibiotic directly. There is then no need to return to the doctor, so no waste of time or money.
If the test is negative, treatment is not necessary, which avoids unnecessary prescriptions and potential side effects.
Who can do it?
THE Official Journal Orders supervise the performance of the urine test in the pharmacy. It is intended for women presenting symptoms suggestive of acute uncomplicated cystitis.
In the event of complicated cystitis, medical advice is required, as is a urine analysis called urinary cytobacteriological examination (ECBU) in the laboratory.
Where to do it and at what price?
You can go to all pharmacies.
The price of the test is €6, 70% covered by health insurance. The remaining 30% is paid by mutual insurance.
The right actions in case of cystitis
Sources
jimmy urinary infection table — Le Mag de la Santé – France 5
1705042597
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