Botox could be used to treat bladder problems
New research indicates that using botox could help the treatment of a common form of urinary incontinence.
Researchers at the University of Leicester have found, from a four-year study, that a single treatment of botox was very effective at relieving symptoms, with patients typically passing water one or two times less often during the day and experiencing fewer feelings of urgency.
They studied 240 women with severe detrusor overactivity (DO) - a condition that occurs when the bladder muscle become overactive and contracts randomly.
Dr Douglas Tincello, who led the study, said: "Overactive bladder syndrome is a relatively common health issue which affects up to a fifth of women aged 40 and over."
"The study hopefully means much better treatment for this condition which can severely impact on quality of life and cause women considerable embarrassment," Dr Tincello was quoted as saying.
The study, published in the journal European Urology, was carried out at eight urogynaecology centres in the UK from 2006 to 2009.
A total of 240 women were split into two groups, with 122 women given Botox and 118 receiving a dummy treatment.
Researchers found improvements across a range of symptoms, including wetting oneself, feeling a need to rush to the toilet, and how often the women 'leaked' urine.
However, there were side-effects - including some women needing to use a catheter to go to the toilet because of paralysis in the bladder muscle.
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