Frequent urination (urinating more than eight times between waking up in the morning and going to bed at night), the feeling of uncontrollable intense urination accompanied by waking up to urinate twice or more frequently at night, and urge incontinence (urination before reaching the toilet). incontinence) is defined as overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome.
DISEASES AND CONDITIONS THAT MAY CAUSE OVERACTIVE BLADDER
Exclusion Required factors include urinary tract infection, tumors and stones of the bladder, interstitial cystitis (non-bacterial infection of the bladder), diabetes, excessive urination due to drinking too much fluid, use of diuretic drugs and pregnancy. After these reasons are questioned and it is determined that the patient does not have overactive bladder disease, overactive bladder disease can be considered.
SYMPTOMS IN OVERACTIVE BLADDER DISEASE
Every 6 Although it is a condition seen in one in every seven women and one in every seven men, only one quarter of the patients seek treatment. Overactive bladder causes serious deterioration in patients' quality of life. Patients' lifestyle, work life, family relationships, sexual life and sleep patterns are significantly affected by this disease. The main reason for the complaints seen in patients with overactive bladder; These are contractions that begin before the bladder reaches full capacity. These contractions, which cannot be controlled by the person, result in sudden compression symptoms. In patients; Frequent urination, sudden urgency, urinary incontinence with a sudden feeling of urgency and hesitation to drink fluids are often observed.
HOW IS OVERACTIVE BLADDER DISEASE DIAGNOSED?
Evaluation of the patient with OAB consists of history, examination and limited laboratory examinations. The history taken from the patient has the most important place in the initial evaluation. The onset, duration, severity of complaints and their effects on quality of life should be questioned. A complete neurological history of the patient should be taken and functional and cognitive evaluations of elderly patients should be performed. Apart from this, the patient's nutritional habits, fluid intake, caffeine and alcohol consumption His/her medical history, medications used and previous surgeries should be questioned. It is possible to diagnose many OAB patients with history alone, but for a definitive diagnosis, a special test called urodynamics must be performed to demonstrate involuntary contractions in the bladder muscle.
HOW IS OVERACTIVE BLADDER DISEASE TREATED?
Many patients can be successfully treated with medication. Supporting behavioral treatments along with drug therapy significantly increases success rates. There is also a closed method (endoscopic) treatment alternative in resistant cases.
DrugTreatment: Drugs are widely used in treatment, and their effectiveness and These are drugs with proven reliability. When evaluated in terms of preventing urinary incontinence, their effectiveness is between 60% and 75%. The most frequently observed side effects of medications are constipation and dry mouth.
Behavioral Treatment: Urine-retaining muscle exercises, urge suppression techniques, changing the time of taking diuretic medications, and It consists of guidance on weight loss.
Endoscopic treatment (intrabladder botulinum toxin application): In the presence of overactive bladder disease that is resistant to drug treatment. Botulinum toxin can be administered into the bladder in patients whose quality of life is impaired due to their complaints. Its effect lasts for 6-8 months. Therefore, the treatment may need to be repeated.
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