Injections of botox can cure urinary incontinence, say US researchers. The toxin, which is more commonly used in cosmetic treatments, works by paralysing one of the muscles that controls the bladder, preventing it emptying involuntarily.
“Bladder dysfunction affects a staggering number of people worldwide,” says Michael Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. “The use of botox injections can offer many of these patients a safe, but temporary, solution to this embarrassing problem.”
The treatment could help the many millions of patients worldwide with overactive bladders, Chancellor says. Medication is available for this problem, but it can cause side effects such as an extremely dry mouth, which some patients find intolerable.
Botox could also be used to treat the thousands of people who develop so-called sphincter muscle spasticity as a complication of neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis and spinal injury. These patients are often forced to use catheters.
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Blocked contractions
Chancellor’s team injected botox into the bladder or urethra of 50 patients with a variety of bladder dysfunctions. The injections blocked the contraction of the detrusor muscle.
Almost two thirds of the patients reported an absence of incontinence within seven days of the injection. Another 20 per cent reported reduced incontinence. The effects lasted for six months. None of the patients reported any serious side effects or complications.
Some of the patients have been given a botox injection every six months for two years, and continue to report dramatic improvements.
“Botulinum toxin injections are a safe and promising treatment for a variety of lower urinary tract dysfunctions,” Chancellor concludes.
He presented his findings at the American Urological Association Centennial Celebration meeting in Orlando, Florida.
