[Cystitis].

Bacterial cystitis is a common condition characterised by a high incidence, an easy diagnosis and a simple treatment. Three subsets should be distinguished: simple cystitis, occurring in young women, requires no bacteriologic work-up and is best treated by a single dose or a three-day regimen consisting of a common antibiotic, complicated cystitis, occurring in patients with diabetes, an urologic history or immunosuppression; it requires a seven-day treatment course, the choice of which is guided by antibiotic sensitivity tests; recurrent cystitis is defined by, at least, four yearly flares; such recurrences warrant thorough vulvo-vaginal examination seeking a local lesion; if none is found, protracted treatment using an inhibitory rather than a bactericidal antibiotic dosage is an efficient prophylactic regimen.