At the gala dinner, my bladder suddenly emptied. Others danced, and I sat in the wet chair until the end of the evening.
There are more such stories. Another internet user complains that her colleagues in the office reported her to her boss, because she spends all days in the toilet and smells unpleasant from her. And the doctor told her that it was normal to urinate at this age.
Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB – overactive bladder) occurs in both women and men, but it is women who come to the doctor with this problem more often. Their symptoms worsen after the age of 44. It is estimated that 3 million people in Poland suffer from it.
Symptoms of OAB include a sudden, strong urge to urinate and the need to pass urine frequently, both day and night. It may be accompanied by leakage of urine – discharge, although this is not always the case. In women, leakage often also occurs as a result of another ailment – stress incontinence, i.e. coughing, sneezing, exertion, and laughing.
What is the OAB phenomenon? They are caused by uncontrolled, spontaneous contractions of smooth muscles, even with little bladder filling. It is not clear why this is so. This may be due to spinal defects or tumors, and sometimes for no apparent reason.
The lives of OAB sufferers are completely disorganized. They are afraid to leave the house – only here they have access to the toilet at any time. They limit fluids, which leads to dehydration, isolate themselves from people, do not socialize, do not play sports. Professional work for many of them becomes impossible. The days of these people go to the toilet, change linen and do the laundry. They wake up to 8 times during the night to urinate.
The main feeling that accompanies them – especially women – is shame and fear of being ridiculed and the feeling of not being in control of their own body. The problem begins to irritate those close to you: You really can’t control it? They won’t tell strangers at all. As this is a taboo subject, there are practically no support groups for them. They are ashamed even of the doctor, who can sometimes ignore it, delaying the diagnosis. Patients are estimated to delay treatment for an average of two years, hoping that the problem will disappear by itself, and then it takes another two years to make a diagnosis. Doctors prescribe antibiotics, believing it to be inflammation of the urinary tract.
Meanwhile, OAB can be treated: either pharmacologically or by intravesical injection (under anesthesia) of botulinum toxin. The latter method lasts for several months, then the problem returns. In contrast, drugs act on specific receptors to cause the bladder to relax. So far, the so-called anticholinergic preparations containing substances such as oxybutynin, darifenacin, solifenacin, tolterodine, trospium, fesoteradine. Recently, they were joined by a substance called mirabegron, which acts on beta-3 adrenergic receptors, causes fewer side effects and targets directly the bladder. Conversely, if you only experience urinary incontinence with exercise, most of the time, surgery is effective, while medications are not effective.
Authors: Hala and Ryszard Sterczyński