Overactive Bladder

Of all the urinary problems, urinary incontinence or the inability to control urination is quite common and 60% of this is mostly due to an overactive bladder. Nearly 16.5% of the world's population suffer from overactive bladder syndrome and in the U.S, the figure is estimated at 33 million.

What is an Overactive Bladder?

Overactive bladder is described as a "chronic health condition with symptoms like urinary urgency, urinary frequency and nocturia, and/or urinary incontinence in the absence of urinary tract infection or other ailments".
Overactive bladder is a health condition characterized by a group of other symptoms like a sudden uncontrollable need to urinate or the need to urinate frequently. Overactive bladder symptoms are thus defined clinically as urinary urgency, urinary incontinence,  urinary frequency and nocturia or urination during the night. The right thing to do on encountering any of these symptoms is to consult an expert urology specialist doctor without further delay.

How Can an Overactive Bladder Affect One's Life?

Overactive bladder can hinder daily routine activities like work, exercise or sleep and can cause embarrassment in public. Due to the need to urinate frequently or suddenly, some patient avoids social interaction and remains isolated. This causes mental problems like anxiety, depression etc.
Due to overactive bladder syndrome, the patient feels the need to urinate several times at night. This causes loss of sleep, leaving the patient tense, tired and irritated. In such cases, if the patient tries to restrict urination, he/she may develop urinary tract infection or skin problems.

Overactive Bladder Symptoms

Overactive bladder symptoms are commonly seen as

1. Urinary urgency - A sudden urge to urinate that is difficult to control
2. Urinary or Urge incontinence where there the patient leak urine involuntarily following the urinating urge
3. Frequent urination - > 8-10 times in 24 hours
4. Nocturia - awakening 2-3 times at night to urinate

Overactive bladder symptoms are individualized and change from person to person. However, knowing the overactive bladder symptoms may help in seeking medical intervention that may result in quick and timely overactive bladder treatment.
The overactive bladder should be addressed immediately as it may become one of the bladder cancer causes if left untreated for a long duration.

Causes of Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder may be caused due to

• Diabetes
• Neurological ailments like Stroke or Multiple Sclerosis
• Bladder abnormalities like bladder stones or tumours
• Enlarged Prostate
• Hormonal changes
• Pelvic spasms or weakness
• Constipation
• Acute urinary tract infection
• Excess consumption of caffeine and alcohol
• Medicational side-effects
• Decline in cognitive ability due to mental illnesses like Parkinson' disease or Alzheimer's
• Ageing

Aged patients or patient suffering from diabetes, enlarged prostate, stroke, Alzheimer's disease etc are at most risk from overactive bladder. For such patients, immediate consultation with an experienced urology specialist doctor is a must.

Overactive Bladder Treatment

Overactive Bladder can be treated in various ways by consulting a reliable urology specialist doctor
    1. Medication
Overactive bladder can be treated using medicine prescribed by a urology specialist doctor. Medicines like trospium, tolterodine and mirabegron can reduce both urinary incontinence and sudden urinary urges.
    2. Pelvic floor exercises
Floor exercises suggested by physiotherapists may be done to strengthen the pelvic muscles in consultation with a urology specialist doctor to reduce overactive bladder symptoms.
    3. Botox
The bladder muscles can be temporarily weakened by the use of small doses of Botox to reduce overactive bladder symptoms.  But these injections can last only up to 8 months.
    4. Nerve stimulation
Electrical stimulation of nerves connected to the bladder may relieve urinary urgency and frequency.
    5. Surgery
The urology specialist doctor may recommend surgery to increase the capacity of the bladder if all other methods of overactive bladder treatment do not work.

Prevention of Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder can be easily prevented by

• adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle
• avoiding smoking and drinking
• limiting the consumption of sugar and caffeine
• exercising regularly
• regularly consulting a urology specialist doctor after 60 years

Overactive bladder is not a disease but only an adverse urinary condition that can be easily corrected by consultation with an experienced urology specialist doctor.