PARKINSON’S DISEASE AND THE URINARY SYSTEM

For many people with PD, the urinary system is affected. The way this shows up is urinary urgency.

Here, the person with PD experiences what a healthy person experiences when the bladder is full even though their bladder is not full.

This is inconvenient. The person feels the need to urinate many times each day and when it happens at night, it disrupts the sleep cycle and leaves them with fatigue and sleep deprivation.

This can be dangerous due to balance instability. A fall might occur and these PD victims often require a caregiver to assist them. This disrupts the sleep cycle of the caregiver and causes an additional set of issues.

Some of the medications used for the treatment of PD may cause urinary hesitancy or the need to “push” the urine out through straining. This may also be caused by an enlarged prostate and a physician should be consulted to determine prostate health.