Injections of the anti-wrinkle jab Botox can now be used to treat bladder dysfunction in women.
Drugs regulator the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has ruled that those with an overactive bladder, a common cause of incontinence, should have access to the drug if other methods of control prove ineffective.
Up to one in five people in England and Wales suffers from the syndrome, with symptoms including a frequent urgent need to use the lavatory.
‘Botox paralyses the bladder muscles and stops them squeezing when they shouldn’t,’ says Mr Hextall. ‘But the effects last only six to eight months so injections need repeating.’
It is recommended that lifestyle changes are tried first, such as cutting down on caffeine and alcohol, and introducing pelvic-floor exercises.
Both men and women can develop an overactive bladder but it is twice as common in women, and most sufferers are over 40.
The cause is unknown but the condition can be brought on by diabetes, infection, bladder stones or spinal injury.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2427948/Now-anti-wrinkle-jab-Botox-used-treat-dysfunctional-bladders.html#ixzz2fj1W839i
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