What is an overactive bladder

I have been diagnosed with an overactive bladder. Kindly advise me on what this means.

Yousof (by SMS)

Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome means that the bladder, which is a bag made of muscle, squeezes (contracts) suddenly without you having control and when the bladder is not full. OAB syndrome is a common condition where no cause can be found for the repeated and uncontrolled bladder contractions. (For example, it is not due to a urine infection or an enlarged prostate gland.) Overactive bladder syndrome is more common in women than in men, so is included in our women’s health information.

However, this problem can affect men as well as women. OAB syndrome is sometimes called detrusor instability or overactivity (detrusor is the medical name for the bladder muscle) or an irritable bladder.

The symptoms of OAB syndrome include: Urgency: This means that you have a sudden urgent desire to pass urine. You are not able to put off going to the toilet. Frequency: This means going to the toilet more often than normal – usually more than eight times a day. In many cases it is a lot more than eight times a day. Nocturia: This means waking to go to the toilet more than once at night. Urge incontinence: This occurs in some people with OAB.

It is a leaking of urine, sometimes quite large amounts, before you can get to the toilet when you have a feeling of urgency. The cause of OAB syndrome is not fully understood. The bladder muscle (detrusor) seems to become overactive and squeeze (contract) when you don’t want it to.

Normally, the bladder muscle is relaxed as the bladder gradually fills up. As the bladder is gradually stretched, we get a feeling of wanting to pass urine when the bladder is about half full. Most people can hold on quite easily for some time after this initial feeling until a convenient time to go to the toilet.

However, in people with an OAB, the bladder muscle seems to give wrong messages to the brain. The bladder may feel fuller than it actually is.  Symptoms may also be made worse by caffeine in tea, coffee, cola, etc and by alcohol.

In some cases, symptoms of an OAB develop as a complication of a nerve- or brain-related disease such as: Following a stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple sclerosis, After a spinal cord injury. Also, similar symptoms may occur if you have a urine infection or a stone in your bladder.

Some general lifestyle measures such as getting to the toilet on time, as well as avoidance of Coffee, Tea, Alcohol as well as excessive consumption of water may help. Bladder training is the main treatment. This can work well in up to half of cases. Medication may be advised instead of, or in addition to, bladder training. Pelvic floor exercises may also be advised in some cases.

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