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Bowel dysfunction in young women with urinary retention
M C Lemieux1, M A Kamm, C J Fowler
1St Mark's Hospital, London.
Gut
|October 1, 1993
Summary
Urinary retention in young women often co-occurs with constipation. While bowel symptoms are common, specific anorectal abnormalities are not consistently found, suggesting a potential shared underlying mechanism.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Gastroenterology
- Neurology
Background:
- A recently described syndrome links urinary retention in young women to abnormal periurethral electromyography.
- The study investigates the incidence and nature of bowel dysfunction in these patients.
Observation:
- Twelve patients with urological abnormality were assessed for bowel function.
- Eight of the twelve patients reported constipation.
Findings:
- No consistent anorectal physiological abnormalities were identified.
- The electromyographic abnormality was absent in the external anal sphincter.
- One patient showed internal anal sphincter smooth muscle dysfunction; another had a generalized visceral myopathy affecting the gastrointestinal tract and urinary bladder.
Implications:
- Bowel symptoms are prevalent in women with this type of urinary retention.
- The findings suggest a potential common pathophysiological mechanism linking bladder and bowel dysfunction.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the shared etiology of these symptoms.