Patients may not raise nocturia as a concern as they mistakenly consider the symptom to be a normal part of ageing. Nocturia is associated with significant morbidity and is likely to be a marker of poor health.
This paper provides questions to guide diagnosis, evaluation and individualised treatment of nocturia.
Nocturia results from the interplay between nocturnal polyuria, reduced bladder storage and sleep disruption. Changes in the function of the urinary bladder, kidneys, brain and cardiovascular system, and hormone status underlie the development and progression of nocturia. Medications commonly prescribed to older people can affect development or resolution of nocturia. The bother caused to a patient by waking to void relates to disturbance of slow-wave sleep, the physical act of getting out of bed and resulting chronic fatigue. An assessment process that identifies relevant and co-existing causes of an individual's nocturia will facilitate a targeted approach to treatment.
Australian journal of general practice. 2018 Jul [Epub]
Wendy F Bower, Karel Everaert, Tee J Ong, Claire F Ervin, Jens P Norgaard, Michael Whishaw
FACP, PhD, BAppSc (Physio), Principal Investigator TANGO Research Group and Senior Clinician Physiotherapist, Department of Medicine and Community Care, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne; Associate Professor, University of Melbourne, Melbourne; Visiting Professor, Ghent University, Belgium. ., MD, PhD, Professor of Urology, NOPIA Research Group, Department of Urology, Ghent University, Belgium., MBBS, BMedSci, FRACP, Geriatrician, Continence Clinic, Department of Medicine and Community Care, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne., GradDip Community Health, Cert Nursing, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Continence Clinic, Department of Medicine and Community Care, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne., MD, DMSc, Executive Director Global Medical Affairs Urology, Ferring Pharmaceuticals Copenhagen, Denmark; Professor of@Urology, Ghent University, Belgium., MBBS, FRACP, Geriatrician, Continence Clinic, Department of Medicine and Community Care, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne.