Holding urine is harmful to health. Not being able to hold urine is also a disease.

Urgency troubles middle-aged and elderly people

In 2007, the "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Overactive Bladder" issued by the Urology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association defined OAB as "a syndrome characterized by urinary urgency, often accompanied by frequent urination and nocturia, with or without urge incontinence". Modern research believes that OAB is the result of bladder aging (especially detrusor aging), and the root cause is the abnormal contraction of bladder muscles causing symptoms such as urinary urgency. In diagnosis, urinary urgency is the core symptom of OAB. If there is no urinary urgency, but only urinary incontinence and nocturia, it still cannot be diagnosed as OAB, because patients with diseases such as prostate hypertrophy also have symptoms of nocturia and urinary incontinence. The standard for frequent urination is usually too frequent urination during the day or at night, urination ≥8 times during the day, and each urine volume <200 ml. A recent survey in my country showed that about 100 million people in the country are troubled by OAB. The first large-scale epidemiological survey on OAB in my country, jointly released by the Urology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and the Urinary Control Group of the Urology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, shows that the overall prevalence of OAB in people over 18 years old in my country is 5.9%, and it shows a characteristic of gradually increasing with age. Among people over 40 years old, there is one patient in every 10 people. OAB likes to harass people with the following living habits or behavioral characteristics: like to drink beverages such as coffee and tea, engage in physical labor for a long time, smoke too much and smoke for a long time, often drink white wine, women who have given birth and menopause, have given birth or have had a high number of curettages, and men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Harmful to life, body, and psychology

"Can't hold urine" sounds like a trivial matter, but it is very harmful. First of all, it directly affects the quality of life and causes many inconveniences in life. Some people dare not drink more water and have to bring urine pads before they dare to go out; some people are afraid of wetting their pants and go to the toilet frequently, which delays many important things; some people have to spend a lot of time and energy on cleaning; and some people are afraid of having an unpleasant odor on their bodies and dare not participate in social activities. Secondly, due to frequent wetting of pants, long-term urine erosion and stimulation can lead to local skin infection, causing repeated urinary tract inflammation, and severe cases may affect kidney function. Women with the disease may also reject sex life, affecting the relationship between husband and wife. Especially for the elderly, getting up in a hurry at night many times also greatly increases the risk of falling and causing fractures. Finally, OAB will also cause a great psychological burden to patients, lose confidence, fear of becoming a burden on the family, and be indifferent and resistant to things, which will lead to a series of psychological disorders, such as shame and isolation, which will directly affect the patient's family and work. Over time, it is easy to breed negative emotions such as anxiety and depression, making patients prone to loneliness and helplessness, and even depression. Foreign surveys have shown that the incidence of depression in OAB patients is significantly higher than that in non-OAB patients.

Change concepts and seek treatment as soon as possible

At present, the treatment of OAB patients in my country is not ideal. A survey by the Urology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association showed that the medical treatment rate of OAB patients was only 53%; about 80% of people believed that OAB-related symptoms were normal for the elderly, not a serious illness, and it didn't matter if they didn't get treatment. Wrong ideas cause many diseases that could have been controlled to be delayed again and again, and even develop from urinary urgency and frequent urination to urinary incontinence. For patients with mild symptoms, bladder training can be used to improve symptoms. First, urine holding training: do not rush to the bathroom immediately when you are in a hurry to urinate, but hold it for a while and wait until the feeling of urination subsides before going. Second, regular urination: urinate once an hour whether you need it or not. After that, you can gradually increase the time interval between urination until you can hold your urine for 3 to 4 hours. Third, techniques for suppressing the urge to urinate: 1. Relaxation: Don't be nervous, and focus your attention on the area outside the pelvic floor. 2. Concentrate: Turn your attention to other places, such as breathing. Take 5 to 10 slow deep breaths. 3. Quick contraction: squeeze the pelvic floor muscles quickly and forcefully, 5 to 10 times each time, and the urge to urinate will often subside. Fourth, pelvic floor muscle training: It is an exercise that actively contracts and relaxes the vagina and anus. Contract the muscles for 3 seconds, then relax for 3 seconds, and repeat 10 times. Do a set of 10 muscle contractions in 3 different positions: sitting, standing and lying down. 3 sets of 10 muscle contractions only take about 3 minutes, and you need to repeat these exercises at least 2 times a day. If the inability to hold urine is severe and recurrent, you need to take medication. For patients who do not respond to conservative treatment or who mainly suffer from stress urinary incontinence, surgery can also be an option. Changing unhealthy lifestyles is also important for treating OAB. First, patients should pay attention to the intake of water and beverages. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water or beverages every day, avoid consuming a large amount of water at one time; quit drinking and all foods and beverages containing caffeine; try to consume most of the water during the day, and stop drinking water near bedtime. Secondly, eat more foods rich in fiber to prevent increased abdominal pressure caused by constipation. Thirdly, go to the toilet in advance when encountering major events, and determine the direction of the toilet in advance when you go to a new place. Finally, you should actively exercise and improve your physical condition.