Cause for increased urge to urinate
There are many different causes for the urge to urinate. A basic distinction is made between the urge to urinate, which occurs only occasionally, and that which persists over a longer period of time. For the occasional urge to urinate increased drinking can be responsible.
The same effect can be caused by alcohol or coffee consumption. Likewise increased urge to urinate occurs when using dehydrating medication (diuretics). However, the urge to urinate here is the desired effect of these drugs, which are intended to ensure that a smaller blood volume remains in the body, which they achieve by excreting correspondingly higher quantities of urine.
Diuretics are used, for example, in kidney disease or in the treatment of high blood pressure. Another not negligible trigger for an increased urge to urinate is psychological stress. A typical example is the feeling of having to go to the toilet before an examination.
However, if the urge to urinate persists over a longer period of time, this can be a sign of an underlying disease. An important example of this is diabetes mellitus. The so-called diabetes insipidus, in which up to 15 liters of urine can be excreted daily, also occurs very rarely.
The urge to urinate also occurs when kidney function is impaired, for example due to renal insufficiency. At a certain stage, the kidneys are no longer able to concentrate the urine, which leads to the excretion of large amounts of urine and consequently to a frequent urge to urinate. Diseases such as cardiac insufficiency can also lead to the urge to urinate.
Another typical cause of the urge to urinate is the frequently occurring cystitis, in which a bacterial infection of the urinary tract leads to an inflammation and consequently to an irritation of the bladder, which then results in the urge to urinate. Very common in older men is also a benign enlargement of the prostate gland (prostate hyperplasia), which can constrict the urethra to such an extent that urination is difficult, so that residual urine remains in the bladder, which then fills it again quickly, resulting in the urge to urinate. The urge to urinate can also occur as a result of an operation in the area of the bladder or after irradiation.
