Recently, several patients came to me because of pyelonephrosis, through a comprehensive examination did not find that they have obstruction of the urinary system, careful questioning of the medical history, it turns out that they have the habit of holding urine. Holding back urine may seem like a small thing, it is behind the physiological function of the human urinary system has a great impact, it will not only give the bladder and the surrounding organs (prostate, pelvic tissues) to bring about adverse effects, and ultimately will also cause damage to kidney function. Why is holding urine a very bad habit? The human bladder is actually a large piece of bladder smooth muscle with a layer of mucous membrane and a few glands on its surface. The smooth muscle of the bladder has a large elasticity, which can be expanded like a leather bladder, acting as a temporary reservoir for the temporary storage of urine. The bladder on the ureter connected to the kidneys, under the urethra and prostate adjacent to the bladder, once it is damaged, the injury is not only the bladder, but also lead to the kidneys, prostate still to affect the entire pelvic organs. Long-term urinary holding is not the body show a person’s perseverance, its impact on the human urinary system is complex, it’s special and complexity is highlighted in the following aspects: 1, damage to the bladder normal bladder wall pressure is limited, the bladder can usually withstand the state of the bladder is about 0-15 centimeters of water column (cmH2O) of the pressure is generally not greater than 25 centimeters of water column. Because the main function of the bladder is to store urine, it is usually required to maintain a low-pressure state, only in this state the urine produced by the kidneys can flow smoothly into the bladder. In the voiding phase, the bladder muscle contraction, the pressure in the bladder should be higher than the pressure in the urethra, the urine can be discharged, this time although the pressure will reach 70-90 cm water column for a short period of time, but due to the special structure of the ureterobladder junction (described in the next paragraph), the urine will not be retrograde back to the kidneys. Under normal physiological conditions, the bladder lining secretes a number of immune antibodies to protect the local mucosa from exogenous bacterial invasion. If you develop the habit of holding back urine for a long time, too much urine in the bladder, more than the normal bladder wall can withstand the pressure, in addition to the bladder lining itself caused by injury, the bladder’s ability to self-protection is reduced or lost, the bacteria can take advantage of the situation, triggering cystitis. The cilia of certain pathogenic bacteria can also attach to the mucous membrane of the urinary tract and travel up the ureter to the renal pelvis, causing pyelonephritis. Long-term urine holders often show symptoms such as lumbar pain, frequent urination, painful urination, hematuria, etc., and even worse, there will be a combination of long-term recurrent urinary tract infections, eventually leading to renal impairment, or even uremia. 2, damage to the bladder sphincter bladder and ureter connection has two small but extremely important function of the muscle, medically known as the bladder sphincter. Their role is to act as a one-way valve when the bladder is full, preventing the urine from flowing back to the kidneys. Prolonged holding back of urine increases bladder pressure, the bladder sphincter is in a state of high load for a long time, it is very easy to produce irreversible damage, resulting in its one-way valve function is impaired. Once the urine in the bladder reflux to the kidneys, the substances in the urine heterogenous will produce damage to the kidneys, medically known as reflux nephropathy. Its clinical features are recurrent urinary tract infections, progressive renal impairment with high blood pressure, anemia, and many patients diagnosed with the so-called chronic pyelonephritis who have not been cured for a long time are in fact this type of disease. There is a similar structure called the urethral sphincter at the junction of the bladder and the urethra, which also acts as a valve to keep urine from flowing out of the bladder easily. Holding back urine for a long period of time can also cause damage to it, the consequence of which is the inability to hold back the urine, bringing incontinence damage. 3, disrupting the normal physiological reflex of urination The human urination process is controlled by the central nervous system complex reflex activity, this reflex is very unique, medical physiology called positive feedback regulation. That is to say, once there is a desire to urinate, the brain gives the instruction to empty the bladder as soon as possible, do not finish urinating the brain does not take back the instruction, why most people in the urination process is suddenly interrupted will have a very uncomfortable feeling is for this reason. If long-term forced urination, it will make this normal physiological reflexes become slow or abnormal, the consequences are often repeated urination, but just can not solve the urine; or repeated urinary frequency, urinary tract irritation symptoms of urinary tract urgency, but the urine test are normal phenomenon. 4, cause other diseases Long-term holding back urine makes the bladder smooth muscle elasticity decreased, the bladder itself lacks tension, the result leads to bladder weakness, clinical manifestations of urinary retention or recurrent urinary tract infections. Men who hold their urine will also bring prostate congestion and cause acute and chronic prostatitis; women will cause chronic pelvic inflammatory disease. 5, aggravate the original disease Chronic kidney disease or cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in the state of holding urine will cause a sharp rise in blood pressure and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular ischemia, induced heart attack or stroke and other serious consequences. Therefore, holding urine seems to be a daily small thing, but the impact on human health is far-reaching, it is not to appear that you are very persistent, but a bad habit of human health, long-term persistence will bring serious adverse consequences to the bladder and the entire urinary tract and surrounding organs. Once you know it, correct it as soon as possible.