Overactive Bladder

Overview :

People who lose urine for no apparent reason while suddenly feeling the need or urge to urinate may have overactive bladder. The condition effects 17 million Americans. The most common cause of overactive bladder is inappropriate bladder contractions. Medical professionals describe such a bladder as unstable, spastic, or overactive. A doctor might call the condition reflex incontinence if it results from overactive nerves controlling the bladder. Having an overactive bladder can mean that the bladder empties during sleep, after drinking a small amount of water, or when touching water or hearing it running (as when someone else is taking a shower or washing dishes). Involuntary actions of bladder muscles can occur because of damage to the nerves of the bladder, to the nervous system (spinal cord and brain), or to muscles themselves. Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, brain tumors, and injury'including injury that occurs during surgery'all can harm bladder nerves or muscles.