What Causes Overactive Bladder?

What Is An Overactive Bladder?

Overactive bladder is a common term used to describe a condition in which an individual feels an sudden urge to urinate. This can lead to incontinence, a bladder control problem which a person urinates involuntarily. The amount of urine that flows may be a little--or a lot.

Overactive bladder, which is often called OAB or urge incontinence, affects approximately 200 million people around the world. This includes about 25 million Americans. Three times as many women suffer from OAB than men. It can be embarrassing and is especially distressing to those who are experiencing it for the first time.

Fortunately, it's not usually a dangerous threat to health. However it may be a symptom of some other serious problem, like bladder cancer. So if you're experiencing overactive bladder or other bladder control problems, you should talk to your doctor.

Many people believe that losing bladder control, overactive bladder and other forms of incontinence happen naturally as you age. They also believe no effective treatment is possible. Neither of these common beliefs are true.

A problem of any kind anywhere in the urinary system can lead to overactive bladder and urge incontinence. So overactive bladder can result from a number of causes. The following causes are among the most common.

Involuntary contractions Bladder muscles involuntarily contract, triggering an urgent feeling that you need to urinate. Normally, the urinary sphincter constricts to hold back urine flow, but the contraction can be strong enough to overcome it.

Stress incontinence This often happens to women who have given birth recently or have given birth many times. The muscles of the pelvic floor become weakened and urine flow is harder to control.

A bladder infection Bacteria can infiltrate the urinary system and multiply. This can result in cystitis, a painful bladder infection.

A kidney infection Bacteria migrates from the bladder, up through the ureters, and into the kidneys. This can be a dangerous situation if the kidney infection becomes chronic. A chronic kidney infection can lead to kidney failure, which may be life threatening.

Diabetes This can cause bladder control problems, including overactive bladder.

Neurogenic causes Certain diseases and neurological conditions cause OAB, including Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis. Overactive bladder is also more common after you've had a stroke.

Outflow obstruction This sometimes happens to men who have had prostate problems.

Drugs Certain medications and pharmaceuticals, including diuretics, phenothiazides, and opioids can contribute to overactive bladder.

Alcohol and caffeine These may cause overactive bladder when used in excess. Both alcohol and caffeine act as a bladder stimulant and diuretic. 

Signs and symptoms of an overactive bladder Overactive bladder signs and symptoms are often hard to miss. They include the following behaviors.

You feel a strong, sudden urge to urinate more often than you have in the past. Often you feel an urgent need to pass urine even though you've recently urinated. You also find yourself urinating more frequently than normal.

If your food and fluid intake is normal, and you find yourself urinating eight times a day or more, you probably have an overactive bladder. If you often find yourself waking up during the night to urinate (a condition called nocturia), you may have a bladder control problem.

Overactive bladder treatment Studies have shown that most people are reluctant to admit they have an overactive bladder, and many won't even discuss it with their doctor. But there are treatments available for overactive bladder and other bladder control problems. Additionally, it's important to talk to your doctor because an overactive bladder and urge incontinence may occur as a result of a serious underlying problem, such as a cancerous tumor.

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