Shrink-bubble causes and therapy

Reduction of the bubble capacity

Many people are familiar with the symptoms of a shrinking bladder - increased urination while simultaneously reducing the urine output - but little is known about their causes and possible treatment approaches. Also, the supposedly harmless symptoms are often ignored or underestimated. Since the worst case can hide behind the complaints of cancer, a medical check is strongly advised.

contents

• Reduction of the bubble capacity
• definition
• Symptoms of a shrinking blister
• Causes of a shrinkage bubble
• Diagnosis and treatment
• Natural healing in shrinkage blister

definition

The shrinking bladder is a permanent reduction in the capacity of the bladder, which is usually associated with corresponding Harnableitungsstörungen. The volume of the bladder is reduced in part to less than 15 percent of its original size

Symptoms of a shrinking blister

A shrinking bladder manifests itself mainly through increased urinary urgency with subsequent release of small quantities of urine (pollakisuria). Urinary output is often painful, but can also proceed without further discomfort.

Causes of a shrinkage bubble

In most cases, the reduction in voiding capacity is due to improperly healed or chronic cystitis (cystitis), which is accompanied by fibrosis of the bladder muscles. For signs of cystitis, such as bladder cramps, painful discharge of urine and pollakiuria or blood in the urine, urgent medical attention should be sought to avoid the development of a shrinking bladder and other complications such as pyelitis. As a rule, the cystitis is caused by bacteria against which antibiotics help. But there are also other forms such as interstitial cystitis, the exact cause of which remains unclear to this day and in which hitherto no cure is possible.

In addition to the bladder infections, some other factors are considered as a trigger of the shrinking bladder, ranging from the consequences of discharge of the urine via bladder catheter and scarring of the bladder tissue after surgery on a so-called neurogenic bladder to bladder cancer. The neurogenic bladder is thereby caused by nerve disorders, which cause in the case of a shrinking bladder a persistent or too frequent contraction of the bladder muscles. Not only bladder cancer but also cancers of nearby organs, such as prostate cancer or cervical cancer, can lead to a decrease in the capacity of the bladder or to a shrinking bladder.

Diagnosis and treatment

The first step in the investigation is to find out the cause of the condition before initiating targeted therapy. As a rule, those affected are asked to give a urine sample, which is then examined in the laboratory. In this way, blood residues in the urine but also bacterial cystitis can be easily detected. Furthermore, an ultrasound examination is often performed to get to the bottom of the symptoms. Also, imaging techniques such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging can provide important information on the diagnosis. However, they do not provide sufficient safety, for example in bladder cancer, so that suspicion often leads to a cystoscopy. Present signs of a neurogenic bladder voiding disorder require additional examinations of the nervous system and brain by imaging techniques. In addition, functional investigations of the bladder, such as a urinary stream measurement, may be appropriate.

According to the different causes of the shrinking bladder, numerous different treatment options are available, which, however, can not always achieve a cure, but sometimes only a relief of the symptoms. Good chances of success exist for example in the treatment of bacterial cystitis. These can usually be eliminated with antibiotics within a relatively short time. If the pathogens have developed resistance to common antibiotics, so-called broadband antibiotics are used.

In the case of a neurogenic bladder, however, at the drug level, as a rule, there is only the possibility of relieving the symptoms or normalizing the urine output. If complications such as reflux of urine into the renal pelvis (vesicorenal reflux or vesico-uretero-renal reflux) occur and the patient's condition deteriorates, surgery remains the last option. As part of the surgical procedure, for example, an enlargement of the bladder (bladder augmentation) take place or a new artificial bladder (bladder plastic) can be created.

In bladder cancer, chemotherapy and surgical removal are still the treatment of choice. In the case of early detection of the cancer, the chances of curing the patient are quite high. However, if the bladder cancer at the time of diagnosis is already well advanced and already show metastases - such as bone metastases associated with corresponding bone pain - healing of those affected is no longer possible. It's all about minimizing patient discomfort and slowing disease progression as much as possible.

The drastic reduction of the bladder volume in the context of a shrinkage blister of 300 to 400 milliliters, sometimes less than 50 milliliters, can generally also be counteracted with the aid of a so-called bladder training. This usually takes place as a supplement or following the therapy of the underlying disease, with the aim of gradually increasing the capacity of the bladder and normalizing the urine output. The sufferers train consciously to hold back the urine and in this way to increase the elimination intervals. Supportive medications can be used to regulate bladder muscle contraction.

Natural healing in shrinkage blister

Although naturopathy has no justification for individual causes of the shrinking bladder, such as neurogenic bladder dysfunction or cancer, as conventional medicine, but especially in chronic bladder infections, it offers quite promising complementary treatment options. Thus, various teas or tea blends on a vegetable basis (for example, nettle, mistletoe therapy, chamomile flowers, Gundelrebenkraut) a soothing - but not healing - attributed effect. Also, pumpkin seeds are considered beneficial. Furthermore, the herbal medicine in cystitis, for example, on tinctures and extracts of plantain, dandelion, horsetail and juniper back. In addition, cranberry juice is said to have a preventive effect, as it is said to make bacterial infections of the bladder more difficult.

Other naturopathic treatment approaches against chronic cystitis form acupuncture and acupuncture massages according to Penzel. In addition, various homeopathic remedies such as Nux vomica or Cantharis for inflammation of the bladder are used. The Schüssler salts no. 9 (sodium phosphoricum) and no. 11 (silicea) in bladder infections have proven to be the best in the field of Schüssler salt therapy. Since the inflammatory processes of the bladder are also brought together with a general hyperacidity of the organism, a balance in the acid-base balance is often part of the naturopathic treatment of a shrinking bladder. Which naturopathic measures are best for a treatment depends strongly on the individual symptoms and the constitution of those affected. The selection should therefore always be left to experienced therapists. (Fp)

Picture 1: Michael Ottersbach