How to Deal with Nocturia?
Nocturia is common in middle-aged and elderly people. About 70% of people over 65 years old have nocturia problems, while the rate is up to 90% in people over 90 years old.
The diagnostic criteria for nocturia in China are defined as the number of times to urinate reaching two or more times. In the past, it was believed that nocturia was closely related to male lower urinary tract infection or prostate problems, that is, the prevalence of nocturia was higher in males than in females.
However, later studies showed that the prevalence of nocturia was 29%-59% in males and 28%-62% in females. The prevalence of nocturia in males and females is basically equivalent. Therefore, the main cause of nocturia is not male lower urinary tract infection or prostate problems. Drugs to treat nocturia on these diseases may not work.
Clinicians and researchers then explored the main pathogenic factors of nocturia, looking for more effective drugs to treat the disease. A commonly used drug in urology, desmopressin, has attracted the attention of clinicians and researchers. It is often used to treat bed-wetting and diabetes insipidus in children.
Children's bed-wetting is mostly caused by excessive urine volume at night, and more than 90% of middle-aged and elderly nocturia patients also have nocturnal polyuria. The causes of both are similar. So, can desmopressin also be used to treat nocturia in the middle-aged and elderly?
Researchers divided male patients with nocturia into two groups of the same number. One group was given 0.1 mg of DDA orally before sleep. The results showed that the average number of urination at night, the average first sleep time cycle and the improvement of sleep quality in the experimental group were significantly better than those in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant.
Therefore, it can be considered that desmopressin can be used to treat nocturia in the middle-aged and elderly, and the effect is relatively good. However, although clinical data have shown that desmopressin can treat nocturia, it is not said that patients with nocturia can be cured by desmopressin.
Moreover, DHA is a prescription drug, which requires a professional doctor to prescribe before use. In addition to the use of desmopressin, in order to achieve a better therapeutic effect in the treatment of nocturia, first of all, we need to identify the underlying causes, then receive the corresponding treatment.
Many nocturia cases are actually caused by other chronic medical diseases, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and so on. This type of patients should not only treat nocturia, but also take into account the treatment of their own chronic diseases. When these chronic diseases are well treated, the number of urination at night will decrease.
In addition, the aforementioned male lower urinary tract infection, prostatic diseases like prostatitis, excessive bladder activity, etc., will also cause the increasing times of urination at night. During the treatment process, patients should also take into account the symptoms of their own treatment. For example, the therapeutic effect of natural medicine Diuretic and Anti-inflammatory Pill in the treatment of this kind of genitourinary system diseases is great.
At the same time, it is reminded that all nocturia patients, besides receiving medication, they should also pay attention to changing their daily life habit in the course of treatment. Patients should avoid drinking soup, eating fruit, drinking tea at night, theses habits can increase the times of urine at night. It is suggested that patients with nocturia should try to get rid of the habits.
Even with nocturia, patients need not worry too much. Clinical treatment of nocturia in the middle-aged and elderly has been relatively mature, and unnecessary psychological pressure will affect the treatment effect, but also may cause other psychological diseases, such as depression. Receiving treatment as soon as possible is the correct choice for the patients with nocturia.
Warm tips: The nocturia patients who are receiving desmopressin acetate therapy are advised to closely monitor the serum sodium concentration during the treatment. At present, hyponatremia is the most serious adverse reaction of desmopressin acetate.
The incidence of hyponatremia will increase with the increase of age and the decrease of basic serum sodium concentration. Once the serum sodium concentration is found, the incidence of hyponatremia will increase. It should be stopped when it is below normal value.
