Botox is very beneficial for bladder problems

Good news for people who have a tough time in their professional and social life because of a “weak” bladder. Botox the substance which has revolutionized anti-aging skin care procedures is found to be a viable alleviant for an overactive bladder.  Experts discovered that Botox when directly injected in the wall of bladder improves symptoms. The results were obtained using female test subjects; its validity for addressing male bladder problems has not been explored yet.

Immediate relief was seen in subjects injected with Botox as their accidental emission rate declined from six times a day to once a day. This also significantly reduced the incessant urge to go to toilet from eight times a day to mere three times. Although very effective the effects of the treatment wear off in about six months however the duration may vary from case to case. One third of the test subjects exhibited bladder continence even after six months of initial injection. The study spanned on a period of three years from 2006 – 2009 and was published in the European Urology Journal. The test subjects were patients of eight urology centers situation in the United Kingdom. 

To gauge the efficacy of the procedure 240 female patients were divided into two groups. Out of these 122 received the Botox injection and other 118 given some other treatment. Those administered with Botox exhibited significant improvements with receding urge to rush to toilet, decrease in involuntarily discharge and wetting their selves. Some women exhibited a side effect where paralysis of the bladder muscle took place because of Botox; catheters were then used to relieve them. Statistics and percentage of people suffering from bladder problems in UK is unclear however it’s estimated that around 50 million people worldwide suffer from this ailment. Females are especially prone to bladder incontinence due to complications arising from childbirth. The male percentage however within UK is less amounting to only 3% according to a recent study.

The study was helmed by Dr. Douglas Tincello who serves at the University of Leicester and honorary consultant gynecologist at University Hospitals of Leicester. He narrated some of the difficult and agonizing situations patients suffering from bladder inconsistency face and how difficult it can become for some of them. “We found that a single treatment with botulinum toxin was a very effective treatment for the symptoms; patients were able to pass water one or two times less often during the day, and also noticed far fewer times when they had bad feelings of urgency and had to rush to the bathroom. In patients treated with botulinum toxin, incontinence episodes dropped from six a day to less than once a day”