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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

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• Children
• Teenagers
• Men
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

The bladder is a hollow organ in your lower abdomen that stores urine. Many conditions can affect your bladder. Some common ones are:

• Cystitis - inflammation of the bladder, often from an infection
• Urinary incontinence - loss of bladder control
• Overactive bladder - a condition in which the bladder squeezes urine out at the wrong time
• Interstitial cystitis - a chronic problem that causes bladder pain and frequent, urgent urination
• Bladder cancer

Doctors diagnose bladder diseases using different tests. These include urine tests, x-rays, and an examination of the bladder wall with a scope called a cystoscope. Treatment depends on the cause of the problem. It may include medicines and, in severe cases, surgery.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Urinary Tract and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Cystoscopy and Ureteroscopy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Pelvis Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Urinary Retention (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Urinary Tract Imaging (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Urination Problems (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Urinary Diversion (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Urine Color (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Bladder Stones (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urinary Bladder Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Prospective observational study of oxidative stress in the pathology of benign...
• Article: Bladder haematoma after transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval: a retrospective analysis and...
• Article: Bladder dysfunction in hypoestrogenic rats with metabolic syndrome can be ameliorated...
• Bladder Diseases -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Kidneys and Urinary Tract (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Blood in the Urine (Hematuria) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Hydronephrosis in Newborns (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse) Also in Spanish
• Patent urachus repair - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pediatric VCUG (Voiding Cystourethrogram) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Ultrasound: Bladder (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Ultrasound: Renal (Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)

Teenagers

• Kidneys and Urinary Tract (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Men

• Bladder Outlet Obstruction: Causes in Men? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Women

• Cystocele (Prolapsed Bladder) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Vaginal Pessary (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Bladder biopsy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Bladder outlet obstruction (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Bladder stones (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Cystitis - noninfectious (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Indwelling catheter care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Neurogenic bladder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Self catheterization - female (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Self catheterization - male (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urinary catheters (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish