It is not a single-step mechanism to be able to urinate. There are many physiological processes that control the formation of urine and also control the frequency of your urination. These processes are obviously interrelated with each other. Any alteration at any level of these processes can impact the whole mechanism of the formation and storage of urine.
There are many day-to-day activities, like the intake of caffeine that can cause you to urinate more often. This may disturb your other important activities like sleeping comfortably at night. There is a proper condition known as nocturia in which a person’s sleep rhythm is disturbed by the abnormal urgency to urinate.
Apart from day-to-day activities, frequent urination can also mean the presence of a medical condition.
What does it mean to urinate frequently?
In most cases, feeling the urgency to urinate more often without having an increased flow of urine is known to be this condition. This really happens to make the patient’s way of living more difficult as it affects to continuity and comfort a person should have in performing daily tasks. There are many symptoms attached to this condition depending upon the cause of frequent urination. Some of these symptoms are:
- Pain in the abdomen
- Disturbance in the sleep cycle due to often urination at night
- Burning sensation while urinating
- Decreased flow of urine
What are the causes of frequent urination?
Apart from daily activities which outwardly affect the urine, there are several underlying medical issues that can cause these problems. Some of these are:
- Tumor in the bladder
- UTI(Urinary Tract Infection)
- Stones in any region of the urinary tract
- Diabetes
- Increased prostate size
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Swelling in the wall of the bladder
- Being pregnant
- Certain medical therapies
How is the cause of urinating frequently diagnosed?
It is a fact that the doctor must know about any past health issues of the patient when dealing with the case of frequent urination. There are several other factors that your practitioner may ask you about before putting you through any test such as:
- The manner in which your condition has started and progressed
- Your present health issues and the medications you take, if any
- Your daily consumption of water or any fluid
- Nature of your urine
After all these questions, if your doctor finds it necessary, he may run you through some medical tests to initiate the process of determining the cause of your frequent urination. These tests include:
- Basic urine test
- Imaging tests such as:
- Ultrasound
- CT scan
- Tests like EEG and other neurological ones
- Blood sample test
- Test to determine the capacity of your bladder to perform its task of holding the urination
There are several instructions given to the patient depending upon the type of test they have to go through such as; stopping to take some medications, coming empty stomach to the test lab, reducing the fluid intake one day before the test, etc.
When should a person seek medical attention for frequent urination?
Frequent urination can be a normal change for some people if they exactly know the cause of it. However, if someone is experiencing several other symptoms with this condition, they must seek immediate medical attention as it may indicate some serious health issue. These symptoms include
- Hematuria
- Extreme pain during urination
- Having no control over holding urine
- Not being able to urinate even when feeling highly urged
- Vomiting
- The continuous vaginal flow of some fluid
How the symptom of urinating frequently is treated?
The treatment of frequent urination is highly personalized. It means the treatment option suitable for the patient for this condition highly depends upon the cause of frequent urination.
The two main underlying causes of urinating frequently happen to be diabetes and infection in the kidney. In both these cases, the treatment options are completely different. While in diabetes, the treatment includes the regulation of glucose levels in the blood, in kidney infection this condition is treated by the intake of certain prescribed antibiotic medication.
There are several other therapies that are advised to the patient to increase the efficiency of the bladder. These include
- Pelvis exercises
- Voluntary tensing of the bladder muscle
- Regulating the pattern of fluid intake
Conclusion
Urination is highly dependent on the person’s lifestyle and the pattern of diet. However, apart from the controllable factors of frequent urination, it may occur due to some underlying medical condition. In these cases, the patients more often experience some other symptoms that one should never ignore. It is important for people to get diagnosed for their cause of frequent urination as soon as possible to receive personalized and efficient treatment. At Alfa Kidney Care, personalized treatment for every individual is guaranteed as the patient is always diagnosed by a professional and experienced practitioner. To know more about us, contact us at Alfa Kidney Care