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This condition affects 16 percent. adult women and men. In addition to the frequent need to urinate, many people urinate unknowingly. The proportions between men and women struggling with this problem are similar, but women are much more willing to take up treatment.
The most common ailments
Symptoms that suggest an overactive bladder are primarily:
- bladder spasms that lead to a sudden and uncontrollable urge to urinate
- uncontrolled leakage of urine due to urgency,
- frequent urination, i.e. passing small amounts of urine, more than eight times a day, which is accompanied by pain.
Not everyone has all the symptoms at the same time. It is worth going to the doctor, all the more so because the symptoms sometimes indicate not an overactive bladder, but irritable bowel, kidney diseases, infections of the urinary and genital tracts or diabetes, which should be ruled out.
The insert test will tell the truth!
A pad that collects leaking urine, worn during sleep, is weighed before and after the measurement. This is an extremely simple method that allows you to test the urine and possibly confirm the diagnosis. Other tests ordered by the doctor include: urodynamic examination, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity. If the doctor suspects abnormalities related to nervous system disorders, it is possible to perform magnetic resonance imaging. However, the so-called a voiding diary is indicated regardless of the tests ordered. It consists in meticulously recording the number, hours and symptoms of urination.
Wide treatment options
- Most likely, your doctor will prescribe medications to help reduce bladder spasms. The action of anticholinergic and spasmolytic agents consists in relaxing smooth muscles. Nitric oxide, serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine are also used for the proper functioning of the bladder. Only as a last resort, when these drugs fail, neurotoxins are prescribed to paralyze the nerve fibers of the bladder, causing an overactive state.
- Treatments are performed only if the current treatment is ineffective.
- Through electromodulation, the proper functioning of the bladder and uterine muscles is stimulated.
- For women, pelvic floor exercises are recommended.
- Behavioral therapy, on the other hand, teaches you to control and urinate at a certain time.
Risk groups
The risk of an overactive bladder increases in people with: multiple sclerosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. It is not uncommon for this disease to coexist with erectile dysfunction and prostate enlargement. Abnormalities related to the functioning of the nerves controlling the urinary system are largely due to damage to the spinal cord, intercellular, neuromuscular connections and too much sensory conduction.