Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder (OAB) is a treatable medical condition that affects approximately 300,000*1sup> people in Ireland. This condition is not normal at any age.
Symptoms
• Frequency - having to go to the toilet more than 8 times over 24 hours. If you wake up to go to the toilet more than once during the night you may have a condition called nocturia i.e. frequency at night
• Urgency - strong, sudden need to go to the toilet that necessitates rushing to the toilet.
• Urge - this is an overwhelming urgency to urinate but not having enough time to get to the toilet. This results in wetting accidents.
If you answer yes to any of the questions below you should discuss your symptoms with your local GP or nurse, so they can ensure you get the treatment you need.
Click here for our self-assessment questionnaire
Cause
Overactive bladder occurs when a large muscle in the bladder known as the detrusor is too active. Instead of staying at rest as urine fills the bladder, the detrusor contracts while the bladder is filling with urine, usually more often than normal and at inappropriate times. This causes a person to feel a sudden and sometimes overwhelming urge to urinate even when the bladder is not full.
Although in many cases the reason for this contraction is unclear, for some people it may be due to a problem with the nerve signals that run from the brain to the bladder.
Some men with the symptoms of overactive bladder have an enlarged prostate rather than an overactive bladder. (However, it is also possible to have both an enlarged prostate and an overactive bladder). An enlarged prostate is not a bladder-related problem. A doctor can tell you whether your symptoms are due to an overactive bladder, an enlarged prostate, or both conditions.
*Estimation based upon prevalence figures taken from Reference 1
Reference 1: Milsom et al. How Widespread are the Symptoms of OAB? BJU. 2001;87: 760-766
