1. Do you have the same problem?
Do you often have to go to the bathroom urgently?
Do you go to the bathroom frequently during the day, more than 8 times a day?
Do you wet your pants because you have to go to the bathroom too quickly?
Do you need to go to the bathroom 2 or more times during the night?
2. If you have these symptoms frequently, do you think so?
It is normal to have this phenomenon when you are older.
It can also happen after having a baby.
It’s not life-threatening anyway, so just put up with it.
3. But these views are wrong and need to be changed
If you have had these symptoms repeatedly for more than 3 months without any other discomfort, you probably have overactive bladder syndrome, or OAB as we call it professionally, and you are gradually losing bladder control.
4. What is overactive bladder disorder?
Overactive bladder disorder, or OAB for short, is a condition in which the bladder is overactive.
It is a condition in which the bladder has problems controlling urination, i.e. urgency, frequency, nocturia or urge incontinence.
Urge to urinate is a sudden and compulsive urge to urinate that is difficult to delay.
Frequent urination: adults are considered to be urinating frequently when the number of urination reaches ≥ 8 times a day and ≥ 2 times a night, with an average volume of < 200 ml per urination. (generally 5-7 times a day, or every 3-5 hours).
Nocturia: The need to get up to go to the bathroom 2 or more times during the night. (Most people sleep continuously for 6-8 hours without having to urinate)
Urge incontinence: Uncontrollable leakage of urine occurs after the onset of urinary urgency.
5. What are the causes of OAB?
OAB occurs because the bladder is overactive, i.e., the bladder muscles are more susceptible to frequent involuntary contractions due to various stimuli. For a person who urinates normally, the bladder should contract at the right time, in the right place, and under its own control.
The volume and frequency of urination for a normal person in a day: 1000 ml a day 8 times in 24 hours An average of once every 2 hours is normal. Usually considered: urge urinary incontinence.
6. Is frequent urination considered overactive bladder disorder?
If you only have frequent urination, it is not urgent and you can hold it, you cannot judge it as overactive bladder disorder.
7. Does OAB affect my life?
OAB symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, nocturia and urge incontinence are related to all aspects of our work life and can cause great disturbance in our daily work life, affecting our daily life, relationships, physical and mental health, social life, sex life and career.
Lack of sleep and frequent nighttime rising increase the risk of injury and fracture in the elderly, and frequent urine leakage may cause rashes, skin infections, and urinary tract infections.
Quality of life questionnaires have found that OAB has an impact on quality of life that exceeds even that of diabetes. As the symptoms worsen, it can have a mental impact, and many people are lonely, depressed and depressed.
If left untreated, as the symptoms progress, OAB patients may even develop upper urinary tract damage, such as kidney dysfunction.
8. Who is prone to OAB?
The prevalence of OAB tends to increase significantly with age, and is slightly higher in women than in men. In particular, middle-aged and elderly women are the most likely to be approached by OAB. In addition, OAB is also a problem for people with the following habits or behavioral characteristics: long-term vegetarianism, coffee and tea drinkers, people who work long hours, people who smoke too much and for too long, people who drink alcohol regularly, women who have given birth or have stopped menstruating, women who have given birth or scraped the uterus more often, and men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
9. What is the incidence of OAB?
In Europe and the United States, about 17% of the population over the age of 18 suffers from this disease, with the majority of women, and the incidence increases with age. In China, the prevalence rate is 11.3% in people over 41 years of age. The number of patients has also been increasing in recent years, especially in middle-aged and older women.
10. How is OAB diagnosed?
Whether you have OAB or not, you need to consult a professional doctor at a regular hospital urology department, who will make a diagnosis based on your detailed symptoms and relevant tests.
11. What is the Overactive Bladder Syndrome Scale?
Overactive bladder syndrome is classified as mild, moderate or severe. Moderate can be improved with some self-exercise. Once it becomes severe, medication is required. In our daily life we can make self-judgment of moderate, mild and severe.
12. What are the principles of OAB treatment?
Remove the original disease and improve the symptoms.
For OAB caused by abnormally high urine volume, the main treatment is to control the amount of water consumed and to control the original disease;
For secondary OAB such as urinary tract infection, prostatitis, prostate enlargement, bladder tumor, stone, etc., we should actively treat the primary disease and use anti-OAB drugs to relieve the symptoms;
For tuberculous small bladder with no urethral stricture, bladder enlargement is possible;
For interstitial cystitis, oral medications, bladder irrigation, bladder water dilatation, sacral nerve electrical stimulation, and urinary diversion are commonly used;
For neurogenic OAB and idiopathic OAB the preferred treatment is bladder training and medication (tolterodine, etc.), and the second-line treatment is bladder irrigation, sacral nerve electrical stimulation, and urinary diversion.
13. What are the treatment options for OAB?
Lifestyle changes, behavioral training, and medication.
If the above self-test you are mild or moderate, then self exercise can be done in conjunction with the following.
14. How can OAB be treated through lifestyle changes?
Water and beverage consumption.
Drink 6-8 glasses of water or beverages per day.
Avoid drinking large amounts of water or beverages at one time.
Avoiding all caffeinated foods and beverages.
Try to drink as much water as possible during the day and less towards the end of the day.
Avoid foods and drinks that stimulate the bladder, such as tea, chocolate, and certain medications.
15. What is behavioral training for OAB therapy?
(1) Bladder training
Delayed urination: What should I do when I have to urinate? Do not rush into the bathroom immediately when you have an urge to urinate, but hold it for some time and wait for the feeling of urination to diminish.
Timed urination: At first, once every hour, whether you need it or not. After that, gradually increase the time between urination until you can hold urine for 3-4 hours.
Suppression of the urge to urinate.
Relax, do not strain, and focus your attention on the extra-pelvic region, such as the abdominal muscles.
Concentrate and turn your attention to other bodily sensations, e.g., breathing. Take 5-10 deep breaths slowly. This exercise interferes with the wrong message from the brain about the urgency of urination.
With rapid contractions, squeeze the pelvic muscles quickly and forcefully for 5-10 times each, and the urge to urinate will often diminish.
(2) Pelvic floor muscle training
Help hold urine longer with pelvic floor muscle training.
First find the pelvic floor muscles that control urination, the muscles that constantly stop and start urination during urination, the muscles that control this activity (i.e. the sphincter), and this is the muscle you need to exercise.
Training muscles.
Contract for 3 seconds, relax for 3 seconds, repeat 10 times;
Do 10 sets of muscle contractions in 3 different positions (sitting, standing, lying down) so that you can control the pelvic muscles in any body odor. (3 minutes)
Repeat 2 times a day.
16. Drug treatment for OAB
The most commonly used is an M-receptor antagonist, which acts as a bladder relaxant. The medication prevents bladder spasm by preventing voluntary contraction of the bladder forcing muscles and inhibits the abnormal urge to urinate, thus allowing the bladder to hold more urine.