Most Canadians hope OAB symptoms will go away

Nov 23 2009

Canadians choose to ignore symptoms - hope they'll go away

What better time than in November - Incontinence Awareness Month - to give your bladder some well needed attention?

A recent poll conducted by Leger Marketing, on behalf of the Powder Room - a national education program for those with overactive bladder (OAB) - asked 1,500 Canadians about their bladder health. The findings revealed that although people are experiencing OAB symptoms, most are choosing not to seek medical attention - perhaps assuming the frustrating and embarrassing symptoms will go away, or that they will just have to live with them.

The survey was conducted between September 14th and September 17th, 2009. Using a national random sample of 1504 Canadian adults 18 years of age and older (pregnant women were excluded), the method simulates a probability sample which yielded a maximum margin of error of +\-2.5%, 19 times out of 20.

Approximately one-third of respondents reported that they experienced involuntary loss of urine from coughing, sneezing, or laughing; they had to rush to the bathroom for fear of not making it in time; and/or they urinate more than 8 times in a 24-hour period.

Fran Stewart, a nurse continence advisor at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, suggests that people may believe that the constant urge to go to the bathroom, or waking up from sleep several times to use the washroom (known as nocturia), and urinary leakage are all a part of the aging process. "Not so", says Ms. Stewart. "The notion that OAB sufferers just have to live with it is simply not true."

"Lifestyle modification techniques such as drinking bladder-friendly liquids (i.e. caffeine restriction), keeping a bladder diary and Kegel exercises may improve symptoms significantly," explains Stewart. "In other cases, prescription medication can improve overall quality of life. People don't have to limit social activity, worry about locating the nearest bathroom or feel a constant sense of frustration with the condition."

Stewart suggests asking the following questions as a means of evaluating the impact of an overactive bladder on quality of life: "Do I go to the restroom more than eight times a day? Do I have to wear a pad when I go out? Can I sit through a movie without having to use the bathroom? Can I finish a tennis game? Do I avoid situations or activities because of my bladder? Is my overactive bladder causing me embarrassment or problems of intimacy? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should speak to your doctor."

Overactive bladder is more than meets the eye, suggests the Canadian Continence Foundation, the organization behind Incontinence Awareness Month. Nearly 22 per cent of Canadians 18 or older have bladder problems, costing the Canadian healthcare system $1.5 billion per year in direct costs related to physician and hospital care, drug costs and long-term care(1).

In November, the Canadian Continence Foundation and the Powder Room are encouraging Canadians to pay attention to their bladder and the symptoms of an overactive bladder. The initiative also encourages people to approach their doctor if they have associated pain, sleeplessness or frustration.

Source: THE POWDER ROOM