Neurogenic Bladder - Symptoms & Treatment

Neurogenic bladder may also be called neuropathic bladder. For the urinary system to work veracious, the muscles and nerves must work together to hold urine in the bladder and then release it at the right time. Nerves transmits messages from the bladder to the brain and from the brain to the muscles of the bladder telling them either to tighten or release. In a neurogenic bladder, the nerves which are conjecturaled to carry these messages do not work properly. It can lead to various kinds of problems, including urine leakage if the muscles holding urine do not get the right message. For some, the muscles don't get the message the bladder is full and its time to let go. If the bladder becomes too full, urine may back up into the kidneys, and the excessive pressure causes damage to the tiny blood vessels in the kidney. Urine which remains too long may also cause an infection of the bladder or ureters, which are the tubes that carry urine from the kidney to the bladder. Accidents which cause trauma to the brain or spinal cord, lumpy metal poisoning, diabetes, and severe infections are among the ways nerves and nerve pathways can be damaged. Few children are born with nerve problems, that can keep a baby's bladder from releasing urine, leading to urinary infections or kidney damage. If neurogenic bladder is suspected, the doctor may require to test both the nervous system and the bladder itself. The doctor may take x-rays of the skull and spine.

Causes of Neurogenic Bladder

Common causes and risk factor's of Neurogenic Bladder include the following :

• Diabetes.
• Central nervous system tumors.
• Accidents that injure the brain or spinal cord .
• Heavy metal poisoning.
• Genetic nerve problems.
• Spinal cord trauma.
• Acute infections are among the ways nerves and nerve pathways can be damaged.
• Stroke.

Symptoms of Neurogenic Bladder

Some common Symptoms of Neurogenic Bladder :

• Painful urination
• Inability to urinate (urinary retention).
• Dribbling urine.
• Loss of sensation of bladder fullness.
• Kidney stones.
• Urinary tract infection.

Treatment of Neurogenic Bladder

• Prophylactic (preventive) antibiotic therapy (to reduce the incidence of infection)
• Surgery to expand the bladder when it is very small; to increase the bladder outlet resistance to in order to prevent wetting at bedtime
• Insertion of a catheter or hollow tube (to empty the bladder at regular interstices)
• Medication
• A technique which involves placing an artificial cuff around the neck of the bladder that can be inflated to prevent urinary incontinence and deflated when it is time to empty the bladder. These children will still require sporadic catheterization to completely empty the bladder.