A weak or dribbling urinary stream. Frequent urination (urinating eight or more times daily). Urgency (a feeling or need to urinate immediately). Painful urination, which may mean there is a urinary tract infection.
Small urine volume during voiding. Urinary frequency and urgency. Dribbling urine. Loss of feeling that the bladder is full.
Neurogenic bladder is when a problem in your brain, spinal cord, or central nervous system makes you lose control of your bladder. You may pee too much or too little. You could have symptoms of both overactive bladder (OAB) and underactive bladder (UAB). You may not be able to fully empty it.
This nerve damage can be the result of diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease or diabetes. It can also be caused by infection of the brain or spinal cord, heavy metal poisoning, stroke, spinal cord injury, or major pelvic surgery.
Nerve problems can cause the bladder to become overactive (going to the bathroom too often), underactive (the bladder doesn't empty all the urine), or the sensation of the bladder can change (feelings of bladder discomfort or pain).
Drugs: Medications that treat neurogenic bladder include oxybutynin, tolterodine, mirabegron, solifenacin succinate and others. Injections of botulinum A toxin (Botox®): Your healthcare provider injects botulinum A toxin into your bladder or urinary sphincters.
It is widely accepted that neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction, when left untreated, has a natural history that has a potential for causing deterioration of renal function over time. However, certain patient profiles are at risk for this and other complications.
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.
Also called neurogenic bladder, this can result from spinal injuries, neurological disorders and congenital malformations. Neurogenic bladder requires treatment from urologists who specialize in neurourology.
Ultrasound. Detailed images of the bladder often demonstrate a thick wall with a small contracted or large atonic bladder. A large post-void residual is often noted.
Regularly scheduled bathroom breaks, avoiding foods and drinks that can irritate the bladder, and exercises to strengthen the bladder muscle can all help improve bladder control. Medications. Your doctor may prescribe medications to improve bladder function.
Spinal disorders or injuries that cause nerve compression or damage may cause Neurogenic Bladder Disorder (NBD); also termed Bladder Dysfunction. NBD means the patient has problems with urination.
While neurogenic bladder can't be cured, necessarily, it can most definitely be managed. Most cases of neurogenic bladder can be managed with medication and intermittent catheterization. The minority of children with the condition need major reconstructive surgery.
The compression on the nerves and spinal cord in the cervical spine can change how the functions of the spinal cord work and cause various issues like pain, numbness, and loss of bladder control.
The symptoms of urinary retention can range from severe abdominal pain and the inability to urinate, to few or no symptoms at all. Urinary retention results from either a blockage that partially or fully prevents the flow of urine, or your bladder not being able to maintain a strong enough force to expel all the urine.
Up to 85% of people with MS report urinary symptoms related to neurogenic bladder dysfunction at some point during their disease course. Patients can experience a variety of symptoms. The specific symptoms and their severity vary between patients and can evolve over time.
Psychological Causes
Your emotional and psychological state can have some effect on the physical systems that maintain bladder control, which worsens as bladder control problems worsen. Some women who suffer trauma or surgery to the pelvic region are more likely to keep their pelvic muscles chronically tense.
Factors that increase your chance of neurogenic bladder include: Nerve or spinal cord conditions present since birth, such as spina bifida or spinal cord tumor. Diabetes. Stroke.
In people with neurogenic bladder, the nerves and muscles don't work together very well. As a result, the bladder may not fill or empty correctly. With overactive bladder (OAB), muscles may be overactive and squeeze more often than normal and before the bladder is full with urine.
Overactive bladder is one type of neurogenic bladder condition that often results in urinary incontinence. It's not a condition but the name for a group of urinary symptoms.
Spastic bladder, also called overactive bladder, is a type of neurogenic bladder characterized by a patient feeling an increased need to urinate even when the bladder isn't full.
Related Disorders
Hinman syndrome, also known as Hinman-Allen syndrome or non-neurogenic neurogenic bladder, is a rare voiding disorder that is believed to be neuropsychological in origin as no neurologic deficit is present.
One of the few other studies to examine the relationship between low B12 levels and continence in older people showed an increasing risk of incontinence (“any involuntary loss of urine or stool or both”) with decreasing B12 levels (17).