WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN IT COMES TO THE BLADDER.

Following my return from school, I found out that my dad had been ill for a while. I was mad at my parents for not letting me know, however, I couldn't stay mad at them. I mean, they're my parents. When I asked what the problem was, I was told of several complaints he had, among the complaints were complaints of weak urine stream, lower abdominal pain, reduced urine output. On his seeing a doctor, he was diagnosed of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, which is common among his age group. This is why today I'll be talking to you about Bladder Outlet Obstruction aka BOO and in subsequent post I'll go into details on the individual causes of BOO.

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Most times when one hears BOO, your first thought is usually it has to be a man. This is not far from the truth, however, it also occurs in females but rarely.

BOO is a urodynamic concept of low flow rate and high intravesical pressure (i.e pressure in the bladder)
An obstruction is a blockage in the bladder outlet (exit point of urine) that results in low urine flow rate in the presence of high voiding pressure.
There are numerous potential causes, ranging from prostate cancer to scar tissue.
When the neck at the base of your bladder becomes clogged, it is referred to as a bladder outlet obstruction (BOO).
The urethra, which removes urine (pee) from your body, joins your bladder at the neck. The flow of urine is stopped or slowed down by a barrier.

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A brief Anatomy will suffice before diving in properly. Between your hip bones is an organ called the bladder.
It is situated below your kidneys and above your urethra. (Your urethra has scar tissue).
Your bladder, which can expand to hold around 1.5 to 2 cups of urine, receives urine from your kidneys and empties into it.
When there's a reduction in urine flow rate following an Obstruction (be it mechanical or functional), this is called BOO.
BOO over time will result in increased intravesical voiding pressure, leading to hypertrophy of bladder muscle.
This increased pressure, with time, is transmitted to the upper tract causing hydroureter, hydronephrosis and renal tract insufficiency.

BOO is most prevalent in persons over 65 and those who were born with the designation "man".It is frequently associated with issues with the prostate. It affects more men than women.
Compared to other women, those with cystocele (prolapsed bladder) and those who were designated as female at birth (DFAB) are more likely to experience bladder outlet obstruction.
Children and babies, including developing fetuses, can also get BOO. BOO is seen as typical.
A bladder outlet obstruction has an 80% risk of occurring in men between the ages of 50 and 60.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, BPH

BOO has various causes, to mention a few,
*Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia BPH, *Cancer of the Prostate,
*Urethral strictures,
*Bladder neck pathologies like fibrotic stenosis and dys-synergia, *Bladder tumor causing bladder neck hypertrophy,
*Bladder calculi,
*Functional Obstruction.

Bladder stone

BOO usually presents with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms// LUTS (voiding or irritative symptoms) such as, lower abdomen may hurt, and/or it might hurt to urinate, trouble starting your urine stream, Feel like you have a full bladder but can’t empty it completely, Pass pee frequently during sleeping hours, Have pain in your lower abdomen, Have a pee flow that starts and stops or is very slow, Void often, but very little pee comes out, Feel pain when passing pee.

Some of the complications that may arise are recurrent urinary tract infection, obstructive nephropathy and renal failure.

In order to make a diagnosis, the following test may be required, testing of the blood to look for kidney damage i.e renal function test, Testing for infection with urine cultures, PSA(proste specific antigen) which is organ specific but not disease specific, Your bladder and kidneys will be imaged using ultrasound to determine the location of the obstruction, Checking your urine for blood in the urinal, a scope to check for urethral narrowing, Urodynamic assessment (a test to show how the muscles of your bladder and sphincters function), Ultrasound (an image of bladder and kidneys to assess for retention of urine) (an image of bladder and kidneys to check for retention of urine).

The cause of the bladder obstruction will determine the type of treatment one receives. For instance, prostate cancer is handled differently than bladder stones.
BOO obstructions may be resolved by:
putting a catheter—a small, flexible tube—through your urethra and into your bladder.
using a lower abdominal incision to insert a catheter into your bladder.
Medications.
Surgery to get rid of the impediment
It's critical to receive therapy as soon as you can. If you don't, problems can arise.

In conclusion, the obstruction of the bladder exit may also be prevented if the condition that restricts your bladder neck is removed.
Consult your doctor about taking drugs that could lower your risk of developing the various obstruction-causing illnesses.
A urologist, who specializes in the genitourinary tract can help with your kidneys, bladder, adrenal glands, urethra, male fertility and reproductive organs. A gynecologist can help people designated female at birth with issues of pelvic organ prolapse.