Urinary retention: causes, treatment

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Vo Thien Ngon - Department of General Surgery - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

Urinating is a form of elimination of waste from the body. Therefore, when having urinary retention, the patient is very uncomfortable, greatly affecting life, work, even life-threatening.

Normally, the human body can urinate autonomously, there is a harmonious combination between the contraction of the bladder and the expansion of the bladder neck. Urinary retention is a condition in which the bladder is full but unable to urinate or urinate but the bladder is not completely empty and the patient feels the urge to urinate frequently.
Urinary retention is mainly seen in adults, including both men and women, in which the rate of men is 10 times higher than that of women, especially men between the ages of 40 and 80.
Urinary retention is divided into 2 types, including:
Chronic urinary retention: urinary retention occurs for a long time. The patient is able to urinate but the bladder is not empty. Chronic urinary retention does not have obvious symptoms in the initial period, many patients will not notice the abnormal condition. Chronic urinary retention can lead to many dangerous complications. Acute urinary retention: urinary retention occurs suddenly. The patient wants to urinate but cannot. Acute urinary retention causes abdominal discomfort, lower abdominal pain. Patients who do not release urine for a long time can be life-threatening, need to go to an emergency hospital as soon as possible.

Normally, when the bladder holds about 250 - 350 ml of urine, it will stimulate the urge to urinate and urinate. The amount of urine required to cause irritation can vary from person to person. In a person with urinary retention, the urine in the bladder has reached a certain level but cannot urinate.
There are many causes of urinary retention. If the bladder wall does not contract strongly enough, it may be due to a loss of contact with the nervous system that controls urination. Causes of loss of contact such as: spinal cord injury, pelvic fracture injury, bladder pathologies (cystitis, bladder stones, bladder diverticulum, fibrous bladder wall, bladder neck sclerosis, bladder neck sclerosis) ...).
In many cases in patients with bladder stones, the stone moves to the opening of the bladder with the urethra and blocks the opening, blocking urine flow. Chronic urethritis leads to fibrosis, narrowing of the urethra due to infection, bacteria, urethral sclerosis... can also cause urinary retention.
In addition, the cause of urinary retention in men can also be due to prostate diseases that cause compression of the bladder neck. For example: prostatitis, tumor... In women, urinary retention can also be caused by diseases in the pelvis that compress the bladder. For example: ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids.
Some cases of temporary urinary retention due to psychological reasons such as: sitting for too long, riding a tight train...

Chronic urinary retention in the beginning often has no specific symptoms. It is only when the disease is severe that the patient is discovered.
Common symptoms of people with urinary retention include:
Pain in the lower abdomen, bladder, anterior pubic area. Prolonged discomfort, restlessness. Frequent urge to urinate but not being able to.

Symptoms of urinary retention make the patient stand still for hours, even daily, adversely affecting the patient's psychology, life and work, especially at night causing prolonged insomnia. fatigue, stress.
If the urinary tract is not cleared in time or the urinary retention is repeated many times, causing urinary retention, which can lead to bladder infection. Urine infection upstream can cause nephritis, kidney failure. Therefore, patients need to see a doctor and get treatment as soon as possible.

People with urinary retention need to be catheterized to release waste water from the body, help clear the bladder, relieve symptoms of pain and discomfort. After that, the patient needs to be examined, carry out the necessary tests to diagnose, determine the cause and give appropriate treatment. During the urinary catheterization process, it is necessary to ensure absolute sterility of medical instruments to avoid urinary tract infections.
Treating the cause of urinary retention is very important. Many causes require long-term treatment, so patients need to be patient and strictly follow the doctor's instructions to achieve high results.

Increase movement, exercise regularly, play sports... Do not hold urine for too long. Sitting for long periods of time is not recommended, especially for people with chronic bladder disease. Complete treatment of urinary tract infections, prostatitis, pelvic disease (if any). Doctor Vo Thien Ngon has over 7 years of experience working as a urologist and surgeon at Hospitals: Hue Central Hospital, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Tam Tri Da Nang General Hospital.
Doctor Ngon with the ability to specialize in the field of examination and treatment of diseases of the Urology and Andrology system, Urology surgery, endoscopic urological surgery, Laparo urinary tract surgery, endoscopy Urinary. Currently, Dr. Vo Thien Ngon is a Urology - Orthopedic Surgery Doctor, Department of General Surgery, Vinmec Da Nang International Hospital