While overactive bladder is most common in older adults, the condition is not a normal result of aging. While one in 11 people in the United States suffer from overactive bladder, it mainly affects people 65 and older, although women can be affected earlier, often in their mid-forties.
Age-related OAB may develop gradually and slowly worsen over time. If your symptoms develop suddenly and you have heavy leakage, your OAB may be a symptom of another condition, such as an infection or a neurological issue. It's best to have a provider check these symptoms sooner rather than later.
"Overactive bladder and urinary incontinence worsen with age: New study suggests association between age and menopause status with increased urinary symptoms." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 December 2021.
Signs and Symptoms of Overactive Bladder
Sudden, urgent need to urinate. Difficulty holding in urine. Frequent urination (often eight times or more within 24 hours) Unintentional loss of urine with urgent need to urinate (urgency incontinence)
Two-thirds of women experience urinary tract discomfort. If you're one of them, you might be wondering if a urinary tract infection or an overactive bladder is the cause. Both urinary tract infection UTI and overactive bladder are characterized by a strong, frequent urge to urinate.
Overactive bladder is usually a chronic condition that doesn't go away. While you may wish overactive bladder would just resolve on its own, the condition can get worse without treatment. But with treatment, the symptoms of overactive bladder can improve significantly to minimize the impact on your quality of life.
Stress, anxiety, and depression may actually contribute to OAB and urinary incontinence. In a study involving more than 16,000 women in Norway, having anxiety or depression symptoms at baseline was associated with a 1.5- to two-fold increase in the risk of developing urinary incontinence.
Bladder irritants
Coffee, tea and carbonated drinks, even without caffeine. Alcohol. Certain acidic fruits — oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes — and fruit juices. Spicy foods.
Prior research has linked anxiety and OAB: up to 40% of women and 30% of men with OAB also have generalized anxiety disorder. The link between stress and OAB is less studied. In animals, experimental stress can cause OAB-like symptoms and behaviors as well as bladder and somatic hypersensitivity.
Overactive bladder occurs less often among young adults, but it can still happen. Causes may include: weak bladder muscles, which can be caused by being overweight. damage to nerves that control urination, which may result from conditions including diabetes, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.
Urinate frequently: OAB may also cause people to go to the bathroom many times during the day. Experts say that " frequent urination " is when you have to go to the bathroom more than eight (8) times in 24 hours. Wake up at night to urinate: OAB can wake a person from sleep to go to the bathroom more than once a night.
FIRST-LINE TREATMENTS
Behavioral therapies (e.g., bladder training, bladder-control strategies, pelvic floor muscle training, fluid management) should be offered as first-line therapy to all patients with overactive bladder. Antimuscarinic agents may be used in combination with behavioral strategies.
Our urologists treat patients with OAB with combinations of behavioral therapy, medication, and in severe cases, a therapy called Interstim, to treat overactive bladder. Another option is the injection of Botox into the bladder to relax and paralyze the overactive muscle.
A person with paruresis (shy bladder syndrome) finds it difficult or impossible to urinate (pee) when other people are around. Paruresis is believed to be a common type of social phobia, ranking second only to the fear of public speaking. Paruresis is often first experienced at school.
While overactive bladder is most common in older adults, the condition is not a normal result of aging. While one in 11 people in the United States suffer from overactive bladder, it mainly affects people 65 and older, although women can be affected earlier, often in their mid-forties.
Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome is a chronic medical condition which has a tremendous impact on the quality of life in both men and women [1]. OAB affects performance of daily activities and social function such as work, traveling, physical exercise, sleep, and sexual function.
Vitamin C found in foods.
A study done on vitamin c intake in 2060 women, aged 30-79 years of age found that high-dose intake of vitamin c and calcium were positively associated with urinary storage or incontinence, whereas vitamin C from foods and beverages were associated with decreased urinary urgency.
If the bladder-wall muscle contracts too often, symptoms of OAB can result. In many cases, the cause of OAB cannot be determined. Some known causes of the condition are bladder inflammation or infection, bladder stones, and bladder cancer. In men, an enlarged prostate can cause OAB.
Ultrasound imaging can detect bladder muscle overactivity by measuring the thickness of the bladder wall. Researchers have determined that a thicker bladder wall may be associated with OAB. Ultrasound imaging can also detect other underlying conditions that are responsible for OAB, such as bladder stones.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an independent risk factor for overactive bladder (OAB). The pathophysiology of DM-associated OAB is multifactorial and time-dependent. Diabetic bladder dysfunction is highly associated with diabetic complications, mainly including diabetic neuropathy and atherosclerosis.
Holding urine can overstretch the bladder and lead to voiding dysfunction, which is a lack of coordination between the bladder muscle and the urethra. This can result in an overactive bladder and urine leakage.