The urinary bladder is a muscular sac-like organ that receives urine from the kidneys, storing it until it is voluntarily expelled through the urethra. While it may seem the bladder has a simple job, in fact, it has a critically important physiologic and sociologic function.
Anatomical Position
In an adult, the empty urinary bladder normally sits low in the pelvis just behind the pubic bone. However, in infants and children, the bladder is located in the abdomen. It begins moving into the pelvis at approximately age six.
Volume and Holding Capacity
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, an average healthy adult can comfortably hold roughly 16 ounces (475 mL) of urine in the bladder for two to five hours. A full urinary bladder may rupture if subject to blunt trauma such as a motor vehicle accident or a substantial fall. Roughly 90 percent of traumatic bladder ruptures are caused by motor vehicle accidents.
Incontinence Prevalence
The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality states 13 million Americans suffer from urinary incontinence--the accidental passage of urine. Eighty-five percent of those affected are women. Among women, factors linked to increased risk for urinary incontinence include increasing age, increasing BMI, Caucasian race, number of births, history of hysterectomy and the presence of other health problems. Among men, risk factors include increasing age, poor general health, prostate diseases, stroke and diabetes.
Cancer
Urinary bladder cancer is more common than many people realize. In 2009, nearly 71,000 Americans were diagnosed with bladder cancer, and 74.4 percent of them were men. The American Cancer Society reports as many women died of urinary bladder cancer as died of cervical cancer during 2009. Among American men that same year, the number of bladder cancer deaths outpaced testicular cancer deaths by nearly 27-fold.
UTI Mimicry
The symptomatic trio of urinary urgency, frequency and pain are almost always synonymous with a bladder infection--commonly called a urinary tract infection or UTI. However, it may not necessarily be a UTI as other conditions cause virtually identical symptoms. Interstitial cystitis is an inflammatory condition of the urinary bladder wherein the lining of the bladder is chronically irritated--but not infected. It is impossible to distinguish interstitial cystitis from a bladder infection based on symptoms alone. Among men, urethritis and chronic prostatitis may cause symptoms much like a bladder infection. Be a good reporter when you visit your doctor with urinary symptoms, as details that may seem unimportant can be quite helpful in accurately diagnosing and treating your problem effectively.
References
- "The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 6th Edition"; K.L. Moore, Ph.D., T. V. N. Persaud, M.D., Ph.D.; 1998
- Human Anatomy: The Urinary Bladder
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Your Urinary System and How it Works
- Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: Overview: Urinary Incontinence in Adults
- Archives of Internal Medicine: Urinary Incontinence in U.S. Women
