What is it about ?
The need to urinate frequently (pollakiuria) is the need to urinate
- More often than every 2 hours, or
- More than 8 times in 24 hours.
The need to urinate frequently at night (nocturia) is the need to urinate once or more times each night.
These complaints can be an indication of all kinds of ailments like urinary tract infection, a benign increase in prostate size (benign prostatic hyperplasia), prostate cancer and neurological diseases (for example after a stroke, in case of Parkinson disease or from multiple sclerosis). In addition, emotional factors, medication use (diuretics) or drinking behavior (heavy drinking or alcohol consumption) may also play a role. The person may also have a overactive bladder. If you have to urinate frequently, more than 3 liters per day, you are suffering from polyuria.
What is their frequency?
More than 1 in 2 men aged 65 and over have to get up at least twice at night to urinate.
How to recognize them?
You need to urinate more frequently than normal, possibly also at night.
How is the diagnosis made?
The doctor will ask you detailed questions about your complaints and possible causes, he will also give you a physical examination. He will feel your bladder, examine your genitals, and in men, he may need to examine the prostate through the anus. Depending on the possible cause of your problem, he will suggest certain additional procedures and examinations: keep a urine diary, fill out a questionnaire to check the severity of your symptoms, carry out a ultrasound urinary tract or have a urinalysis.
What can you do ?
If you suspect that the cause of the problem may be the excessive consumption of drinks or alcohol, you can try to change these habits. If there is no improvement afterwards, contact the doctor.
What can your doctor do?
Treatment depends on the cause. For example, a urinary tract infection can be treated with medication. Where benign prostatic hyperplasia could explain the problem, medications are still helpful. But if the improvement is insufficient after a few months, you will be referred to a urologist for further examinations.
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