Overview of Frequent Urination

 Frequent Urination is the need to urinate more often than is normal. The amount may be less than normal, about the same as normal or more than normal. Frequent Urination may be a problem affecting patient both day and night, or need to urinate frequently only during the night (Nocturia). In addition to being a sign of a medical condition, frequent urination can affect your sleep, work and general health.

Causes of Frequent Urination

Frequent Urination can be a symptom of diverse troubles. Likely reasons of frequent urination may include:-

Urinary Tract Infection. When Frequent Urination is accompanied by fever, an urgent need to urinate, and pain or discomfort in the abdomen, you may have a urinary tract infection.

Diabetes.  Frequent Urination is frequently a before time symptom of both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. The body tries to do away with unused glucose through the urine while suffering from this disease.

Pregnancy. The growing uterus places pressure on the bladder, causing Frequent Urination.

Prostate Problems. An enlarged prostate can press against the urethra (the tube that carries urine out the body) and block the flow of urine. This causes the bladder wall to become irritable. The bladder begins to contract even when it contains small amounts of urine, causing more Frequent Urination.

Interstitial Cystitis. This state of unidentified cause is distinguished by pain in the bladder and pelvic area. Frequently, symptoms consist of an urgent and/or frequent need to urinate.

Diuretic use. These prescriptions to treat high blood pressure or fluid buildup work in the kidney and flush excess fluid from the body, causing Frequent Urination.

Stroke or other neurological diseases. Injury to nerves that provide the bladder can lead to problems with bladder function, including frequent and sudden urges to urinate.

Less common causes include:-

• Bladder Cancer
• Bladder Dysfunction
• Radiation Therapy.

Frequent urination is not a symptom of a trouble, but is the trouble. In people with overactive bladder syndrome, involuntary bladder contractions lead to frequent and often urgent urination, even if your bladder is not full. It may show the way to wake up one time or more during the night.

When to Visit Hospital

 

Visit a general practitioner, if urinating more frequently than usual and if:

• There is no obvious grounds, such as drinking more total fluid, alcohol or caffeine than usual
• The trouble interrupts sleep or daily activities
• If experience other urinary problems or bothersome symptoms

Visit a general practitioner immediately, if Frequent Urination along with any of these signs or symptoms is noticed:-

• Blood in your urine
• Red or dark brown urine
• Painful urination
• Pain in your side, lower abdomen or groin
• Difficulty urinating or emptying your bladder
• A strong urge to urinate
• Loss of bladder control
• Fever

Urinary Tract Disorders may cause the above signs or symptoms, but other serious diseases or health conditions may also generate these signs and symptoms.

Tests and Diagnosis

Following tests may be carried out depending on the results of the physical exam and medical history:-

• Urinalysis and urine culture: These tests identify and gauge a range of components of the urine. A urine culture can identify bacteria that may be the root of a urinary tract infection.
• Ultrasonography: This noninvasive imaging test is employed to picture your kidneys and bladder to detect any structural abnormalities or tumors.
• Cystometry: This test determines the pressure within the bladder and confirms for the possibility of muscle or nerve troubles that may cause frequent urination.
• Cystoscopy: This is an all-encompassing test that permits a physician to look at the inside of the bladder and urethra using a thin, lighted apparatus called a cystoscope.
• Neurological tests. Diagnostic tests such as urodynamics, imaging, EEG, and EMG are methods that assist the physician to substantiate or rule out the existence of a nerve disorder.

Treatment of Frequent Urination

Consulting physician and receiving a diagnosis is to establish the primary reason of Frequent Urination that will then lead to a decision about the treatment. For instance, if the reason is diabetes, then the treatment will be for diabetes, the aim of which is to keep blood sugar under control. If the cause is a kidney infection, then the treatment usually comprises a course of antibiotics and possibly painkillers too.

Related articles

• Kidney Disease (healthinessbox.com)