Bladder Problems When You Have Diabetes
Kidney Health Care - David Mangusan Jr., PTRP
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Bladder problems can occur because of damage to your nerves that control bladder function. Nerve damage can result from diabetes, trauma or injuries, and infections. Studies have shown that "more than half of men and women with diabetes have bladder problems because of damage to the nerves controlling bladder function."
Problems with bladder function common in people who have diabetes include the following:
To diagnose your specific bladder problem, your doctor may have to check both bladder function and the appearance of the inside of the organ. Diagnostic tests may include x rays, urodynamic testing to evaluate bladder function, and cystoscopy, a test that uses a device called a cystoscope to view the inside of the bladder.
Treatment
Treatment of bladder problems because of nerve damage depends on the specific condition. For example, if your main problem is urine retention, treatment may involve medication to promote better bladder emptying and a practice called timed voiding—urinating on a schedule—to promote more efficient urination.
In some cases, a thin tube called a catheter may be periodically inserted through your urethra to help drain the urine from your bladder. Massaging your lower abdomen can help you to empty your bladder fully.
For people who have urinary leakage, medications, strengthening the pelvic floor muscles with Kegel exercises, or surgery may help. Treatment for urinary urgency and frequency of overactive bladder may include medications, timed voiding, Kegel exercises, and, in some cases, surgery.
Related Articles:
Sources:
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC). Sexual and Urologic Problems of Diabetes. Available at http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/sup/index.htm. Accessed on August 20, 2010.
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC). Your Urinary System and How It Works. Available at http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/yoururinary/index.htm. Accessed on August 20, 2010.
Page Last Revised: November 22, 2010
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Problems with bladder function common in people who have diabetes include the following:
Diagnosis
- Overactive Bladder. This condition occurs when damaged nerves mistakenly send signals to the bladder when it should not. As a result, bladder muscles contract and squeeze out urine without warning. Symptoms of this bladder dysfunction may include:
- urinary frequency—urination eight or more times a day or two or more times a night
- urinary urgency—the sudden, strong need to urinate immediately
- urge incontinence—leakage of urine that follows a sudden, strong urge to urinate
- Poor control of sphincter muscles. Surrounding the upper part of the urethra—the narrow tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body—are the sphincter muscles. Normally, these sphincter muscles contract to keep urine in the bladder and relax when a person urinates. However, damage to the nerves supplying these muscles may make them loose allowing urine leakage or keep them contracted making urination difficult.
- Urine retention. For some people, nerve damage keeps their bladder muscles from getting the message that it is time to urinate or makes the muscles too weak to completely empty the bladder. If the bladder becomes too full, urine may back up and the increasing pressure may damage the kidneys. Urine remaining in the body for too long can cause an infection to develop in the kidneys or bladder. Urine retention may also lead to overflow incontinence—leakage of urine when the bladder is full and does not empty properly.
To diagnose your specific bladder problem, your doctor may have to check both bladder function and the appearance of the inside of the organ. Diagnostic tests may include x rays, urodynamic testing to evaluate bladder function, and cystoscopy, a test that uses a device called a cystoscope to view the inside of the bladder.
Treatment
Treatment of bladder problems because of nerve damage depends on the specific condition. For example, if your main problem is urine retention, treatment may involve medication to promote better bladder emptying and a practice called timed voiding—urinating on a schedule—to promote more efficient urination.
In some cases, a thin tube called a catheter may be periodically inserted through your urethra to help drain the urine from your bladder. Massaging your lower abdomen can help you to empty your bladder fully.
For people who have urinary leakage, medications, strengthening the pelvic floor muscles with Kegel exercises, or surgery may help. Treatment for urinary urgency and frequency of overactive bladder may include medications, timed voiding, Kegel exercises, and, in some cases, surgery.
Related Articles:
- Urinary Incontinence: Bladder Control Problems
- Bladder Problems in Men
- Types of Urinary Incontinence in Women
- Treatment for Urinary Incontinence in Women
Sources:
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC). Sexual and Urologic Problems of Diabetes. Available at http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/sup/index.htm. Accessed on August 20, 2010.
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC). Your Urinary System and How It Works. Available at http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/yoururinary/index.htm. Accessed on August 20, 2010.
Page Last Revised: November 22, 2010
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