Urinary retention is the inability to urinate. This complication is also known as ischuria and it is a form of benign prostatic hypertrophy that can be caused by various medications: antidepressants, opiates or amphetamines.
Urinary retention has two stages. Chronic retention is
characterized by the incapacity to empty the bladder
completely. Even starting a steam can be difficult. The
patient will feel a constant need to urinate, but the urgency
will disappear once he gets to the toilet. Another symptom is
the strong persistence of the need to urinate even after the
patient has done so. Although chronic urinary retention may
not feel life endangering, it can lead to serious problems
such as acute retention when the patient can’t urinate
at all even though he has a full bladder. In this stage of
illness, medical intervention is required. The incapacity to
urinate properly should not be considered an unusual condition
even though it is more common in men than in women.
A full bladder in a urinary retention patient may lead to
incontinence and the need to urinate at night. Urinary
incontinence is characterized by unintentional leakage of
urine and can happen anytime, at any moment of the day, having
a deep impact on the quality of the patient’s life.
Obstruction of the urinary tract or severe nerve problems that
cut off all communication routes between the brain and the
bladder are the main causes of urinary retention. A weaken
bladder muscle can also lead to urinary problems. For men in
their fifties and sixties, due to prostate enlargement that
comes with age, urinary retention is unavoidable. When the
prostate enlarges it presses against the urethra, causing the
bladder to become irritable and contract even when it contains
a small quantity of urine. Frequent urination will cause tract
muscle to lose their elasticity up to the point where urine
will stay in the bladder because the bladder will not be able
to empty itself. Urinary infection is another cause for
urinary deficiencies. An infection of the urethra can easily
lead to irritation and inflammation.
Urinary problems can cause pain, discomfort, stress, all of
which will reflect on the quality of the patient’s life.
If a patients feels the need to urinate more often than before
or once he intends to do it he can’t release urine out
of this body, then he must see a doctor who will order a
number a test to diagnose the condition. Tests usually consist
of urine sample, blood and prostate fluid samples or a bladder
scan. Depending on the medical consult, some doctors feel that
a cytoscopy or X-rays are required. During cytoscopy, your
bladder and urethra will be examined with a microscope.
A form of quick treatment is the insertion of a catheter
through the urethra that will absorb all the urine out of the
bladder. Depending on the cause, the doctor will proceed in
long-term treatment than can include medication or surgery.
Acute urinary retention should not be ignored because it can
lead to kidney failure.