Experts say that Botox helps address a problem faced by many, as Botox injections in the bladder prevent incontinence. Botox, known as the wrinkle removal injection for the face, halts the random contractions of bladder muscles that can cause leakage in up to nine out of ten cases, and it is extremely effective in treating this issue. A group of leading specialists in the UK indicates that this is just one of a range of treatments that patients unnecessarily miss out on due to the rarity of day clinics. Experts estimate that certain treatments, like electrical stimulation devices targeting nerves in the bladder and bowel, are only offered to one in ten patients.
Professor Charles Knowles, a colorectal surgeon at Queen Mary University in London and the lead author of the report, states, “It’s a significant challenge to encourage these patients to seek help in the first place due to embarrassment, but if they are referred for treatment, they often find themselves at the bottom of the list behind cancer patients.” It is estimated that 40% of women will experience urinary incontinence in their lifetime, as well as one in ten men, and fear and embarrassment prevent many from leaving home, significantly limiting their quality of life.
Urinary incontinence has many causes, generally related to issues with the muscles around the bladder connected to fluid secretion in the body. In up to 90% of cases, the problem lies in what is called urge incontinence, where patients struggle to hold it and are forced to go to the bathroom several times a day. Botox injections in the bladder are highly successful, reducing incontinence in three-quarters of patients, with effects lasting up to a year before an increase in dosage is needed. According to the report, in most cases, patients must go to the hospital for a full procedure that entails general or partial anesthesia.
During the procedure, the patient lies down with their legs raised, as a thin metal tube is inserted through the urethra into the bladder, with an attached camera. Through this tube, doctors inject Botox at 10 to 15 sites in the bladder. Botox is the medical form of botulinum toxin, the chemical produced by bacteria that cause food poisoning and temporarily paralyze muscles, thereby reducing the spasms that lead to urine leakage, according to the Daily Mail.
