An Inside Look At The Neurogenic Bladder

Neurogenic bladder is a condition of the urinary bladder where you are unable to control urination normally. Every time your bladder fills up and empties, complex tasks are being undertaken by your system. Your nerves signal your brain when the bladder is full and your brain relays this signal to your muscles, which relax to pass urine or tighten when the bladder isn’t full. When you have neurogenic bladder, your nerves are unable to carry tasks normally. This article discusses the complications, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of neurogenic bladder.

Complications

There are a number of health conditions linked to neurogenic bladder, which include urine retention, leakage, infection of the bladder or ureters, and damage to blood vessels in the kidney. Urine retention occurs when muscles hold urine in even when the bladder is full and ready to empty itself. On the other hand, leakage occurs when the muscles relax even when it is not time for urine to pass. Because urine is held in the bladder for too long, there is a higher risk of infection. The bladder can also apply tremendous pressure against the kidney when it is too full, causing damage to the kidney’s tiny blood vessels.

Causes

Causes and other factors that contribute to neurogenic bladder include acute infections, genetic nerve problems, diabetes, heavy metal poisoning, and accidents that result in damage to the spinal cord or brain.

Signs And Symptoms

The common signs and symptoms of neurogenic bladder include changes in urination, incontinence, painful urination, inability to thoroughly empty the bladder, and waking up a couple of times or more at night to urinate. Other signs and symptoms include hydroureteral nephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux, and upper urinary tract infection.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis may involve your doctor analyzing your symptoms, medical history, and results of your physical exam. You may be asked to keep a diary, which should indicate your urinary habits so that your doctor can design a bladder-training plan. Furthermore, your doctor may refer you to an urologist or urogynecologist when necessary. The tests you may undergo for diagnosis are urinalysis, bladder function tests, blood tests, ultrasound, and x-rays.

Treatment

For incontinence, overactive bladder and urine leakage, medications (which act to help muscles surrounding the bladder relax) are often prescribed. More severe cases may require a surgical replacement of the sphincter muscle, an increase in bladder size, or the construction of an alternate tube for draining the bladder. Because neurogenic bladder can cause infections like UTI, antibiotics may be prescribed. For those who have urinary retention or inability to urinate, a catheter may be used to consistently empty the bladder. In other cases, endoscopic surgery may be performed to enhance urine flow.

There really is no clear preventive method for neurogenic bladder. However, practicing a healthy lifestyle is said to help prevent neurogenic bladder. It has been found that the condition can be avoided or delayed if blood sugar levels are monitored (especially in diabetics) and if safety measures are taken to avoid spinal cord injuries.