Medical history (history of illness) represents an important component in the diagnosis of nocturia (nocturnal urination).
Family history
- What is the general health of your relatives?
- Are there any diseases in your family that are common?
Social history
- What is your profession?
- Is there any evidence of psychosocial stress or strain due to your family situation?
Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- How long have you been experiencing nocturnal urination?
- How often do you need to go to the toilet at night? How much urine comes with a toilet?
- How often do you have to go to the toilet in total within 24 hours?
- How much do you drink per day? What do you drink?
- Do you drink a lot before going to bed? What do you drink before going to bed?
- What does the urine look like? Has it changed in color, odor, quantity, admixtures?
- Do you have swollen ankles in the evening?
- What other complaints are present?
Vegetative anamnesis including nutritional anamnesis.
- Do you sleep well and sufficiently?
Self anamnesis incl. medication anamnesis
- Pre-existing conditions (urological diseases, internal diseases).
- Operations
- Radiotherapy
- Vaccination status
- Allergies
- Pregnancies
Medication history
- Antibiotics
- Gentamycin
- Tetracycline
- Amphotericin B (antifungal agent)
- Anticholinergics (polydipsia!/due toincreased drinking) – group of drugs that inhibits the action of the transmitter acetylcholine.
- Antidepressants (MAO inhibitors; SSRI = Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) – nocturia due to central nervous effects.
- Antiepileptic drugs – nocturia due to central nervous effects.
- Antihypertensives
- Bronchodilators
- Calcium antagonists (calcium channel blockers; group of drugs used for hypertension) – leads to polyuria.
- Chlorpromazine (polydipsia!) – active substance from the group of antipsychotics (neuroleptics).
- Diuretics (drugs to flush out water) – especially when taken in the evening.
- Dopamine antagonists – nocturia due to central nervous effects.
- Drugs: cannabis, ecstasy, heroin, cocaine or speed (amphetamines).
- Glibenclamide (oral antidiabetic).
- Hormones
- Glucocorticoids (polyuria)
- Thyroid hormones (thyroxine)
- Theophylline – active ingredient belonging to the xanthine derivatives and used mainly in the treatment of bronchial asthma.
- Thioridazine (polydipsia!) – Active substance from the group of antipsychotics (neuroleptics).
- Lithium carbonate
- Stimulants – e.g. alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, ephedrine, cocaine, speed (amphetamines).
- Sympathomimetics (drugs that enhance the action of the sympathetic nervous system).
Note on keeping a daily diary
A diary (micturition log; urinary diary; bladder diary) should be kept for 2/14 days with the following entries:
- Frequency of micturition on 2 days
- Micturition volume
- Drinking amount/24 h on 2 days
- Time to fall asleep and time to get up
- Complaints such as incontinence, urge or pain.
- Urinary incontinence events in 14 days
- Fecal incontinence events in 14 days
