What is Overactive Bladder?
Overactive bladder is a condition that causes a sudden, intense feeling of needing to urinate, even when the bladder is not full. It is a common disorder of the urinary system that can affect the quality of life of those who suffer from it. It is characterized by sudden, involuntary contractions of the bladder muscle, resulting in an urgent and frequent sensation to urinate.
Overactive bladder can affect both sexes, although it is more common in women.
** It is important to differentiate “simple” overactive bladder from painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis. Sometimes, an overactive bladder can present with PAIN, PRESSURE OR DISCOMFORT in the suprapubic region and/or with urination as the main symptoms. In this case, when pain is the main symptom, we will talk about “painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis” (SVD/IC), which constitutes a similar clinical entity but with somewhat different management.
* In the following link you can find a detailed presentation by Dr Puche with more information about painful bladder syndrome or BPS/IC:
What are the causes of an Overactive Bladder?
The ultimate cause of overactive bladder is unknown. But yes which is known to be associated with different processes among which stand out:
- Neurological disorders, such as stroke and multiple sclerosis.
- Diabetes
- Acute or chronic urinary tract infection.
- Hormonal changes during menopause in women.
- Tumors or stones (stones) in the bladder.
- Factors that make it difficult to remove urine from the bladder, such as an enlarged prostate (for men), constipation, or previous incontinence surgery.
What are the symptoms of Overactive Bladder?
The ultimate cause of overactive bladder is unknown. But yes which is known to be associated with different processes among which stand out:
- Urgency urinary: sudden, intense feeling of having toe urinate. span> < /span>
- Frequency urinary increased : the need to urinate more frequently than normal, even at night. You may need to go to the bathroom more than 8-10 times a day.
- Incontinence urinary: involuntary loss of urine that can occur by not reaching to the bathroom on time. This type of incontinence is known as “ urgency incontinence.”
- Pain: Sometimes these voiding symptoms associate intense pain with urination or at the suprapubic level (SVD/IC).
How is an Overactive Bladder diagnosed?
How is Overactive Bladder treated?
This is a very individualized therapeutic approach. Depending on the triggering factors and possible causes, different treatments can be administered.
1.- Changes in lifestyle: is always the first step. Reduce body weight, lead a healthy life and avoid urinary irritants (coffee and/or tobacco). Likewise, bladder physiotherapy and pelvic floor exercises can play an important role.
2.- Drugs: These are drugs that try to “relax” the bladder so that the involuntary contractions that generate the symptoms do not occur. The most common are:
– Anticholinergics: solifenacin, fesoterodine, oxybutynin.
– B3-agonists: mirabegron
– Intravesical hyaluronic acid instillations
– Intravesical botulinum toxin injections
– Surgery: in very severe cases surgery can be resorted to.
Overactive/painful bladder can be challenging, but there are treatment options that can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. Intravesical instillation of hyaluronic acid is an effective and safe option in appropriately selected patients. The objective of treatment with hyaluronic acid is to help the bladder REPAIR its internal layer, which could be damaged by different causes (recurrent infections, chemicals, aging, hormonal disorders,…)
Am I a candidate for hyaluronic acid instillations in the bladder?
Hyaluronic acid in any of its forms should be administered by a doctor with experience in the evaluation and treatment of dysfunctions. bladder.
How is hyaluronic acid administered to the bladder?
To administer hyaluronic acid into the bladder, a small probe must first be placed through the urethra. It is a procedure that is performed under aseptic conditions and that generates minimal discomfort in expert hands.
Depending on the causes and type of symptoms, a specific and appropriate instillation protocol will be established for each patient.
In general, we usually start with an initial phase of weekly instillations that can be continued for 4-6 weeks. Later we will move on to a maintenance phase with fortnightly or monthly instillations. This periodicity can be modified depending on the symptoms and needs of each patient.
Hyaluronic acid in any of its forms should be administered by a doctor with experience in the evaluation and treatment of bladder dysfunctions.
