Pollakiuria is a urination disorder that can have a wide variety of origins. This frequent urge to urinate can occur during the day and / or at night. Often harmless, the symptom should not be overlooked because it can be a sign of a severe urinary tract disease.

Pollakiuria one urination disorder. It refers to the need to urinate more often than usual. More specifically, the volume of urine with each urination is reduced, but the amount of urine produced during the day remains equivalent to normal.

It can occur during the day (we speak of diurnal pollakiuria) and / or at night (we speak of nocturnal pollakiuria), or only during the night. We speak of pollakiuria when urination occurs more than 7 times during the day and / or more than once in the night. Note that in the most severe cases, the person with pollakiuria can urinate every 15 to 20 minutes.

Pollakiuria should not be confused with dysuria, which is characterized by difficulty urinating accompanied by pushing efforts, as well as a decrease in the force of the urine stream.

Several factors can be linked to pollakiuria. These include:

• damage to the bladder, such as infection, disease, injury or irritation;
• damage to muscles, nerves or other tissues that affect the normal functioning of the bladder;
• some cancer treatments (for example, radiotherapy to the pelvis);
• or taking drugs or drinks that increase urine production.

Pollakiuria can be caused by diseases affecting the urinary tract. These include the kidneys, the tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder (ureters), the bladder and urethra, the conduit through which urine flows from the bladder to the outside of the body.

Specific illnesses or other factors that can lead to pollakiuria include:

• stones in the bladder;
• renal dysfunction;
• taking diuretics (which increase urine production);
• excessive consumption of fluids, alcohol or caffeine;
• cystitis, i.e. inflammation of the bladder (commonly known as a urinary tract infection);
• kidney infection;
• an overactive bladder;
• prostatitis, ie inflammation of the prostate;
• radiation therapy affecting the pelvis or lower abdomen;
• diabetes ;
• a urethral narrowing;
• a urinary incontinence ;
• vaginitis, i.e. inflammation of the vagina (in women);
• or kidney stones.

During pregnancy, it is also common for a woman to need to urinate more frequently than usual.

If the increased frequency of urination is associated with any of the following symptoms or signs, it is advisable to see a doctor:

• the presence of blood in the urine;
• red or dark brown urine;
• pain during urination, lower abdomen or groin;
• difficulty urinating or emptying the bladder;
• loss of bladder control;
• or even fever.

Pollakiuria is one of the symptoms that characterizes a specific disease. It is therefore important to take this into account and seek to understand the cause to prevent the disease from progressing.

To treat pollakiuria, it is essential to determine what is the cause. The doctor will first perform a physical exam and then, depending on the results, may order a series of additional tests, such as:

• a urine analysis to look for the presence of blood and analyze the proportion of the different elements that make up urine;
• a cystometry, to measure the pressure inside the bladder and thus check its proper functioning. This test is used to determine if a muscle or nervous problem may be the cause of pollakiuria;
• a cystoscopy, to examine the inside of the bladder and urethra and possibly take samples;
• neurological tests to confirm or rule out a nervous disorder;
• an ultrasound, to visualize the bladder.

To overcome pollakiuria, it is necessary to treat the disease that causes it.

Since the causes of pollakiuria are multiple, there is no particular means of prevention. It is however possible to prevent certain pathologies at the origin of pollakiuria such as kidney stones by good hydration for example. Exercises for the perineum (also called Kegel exercises) can also help maintain good musculature around the bladder and urethra.