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subject: Taking A Closer Look At The Way The Urinary System Work In Men [print this page]

There has been a significant increase in men who suffer from

some form or type of urinary incontinence in the last decade,

and many of them are still gainfully employed in jobs ranging

from construction laborer to CEO's of large corporations. A

large segment of those who suffer with urinary incontinence

are in the fifty and older group, but there's a growing

number of those who are less than fifty years old who have

been diagnosed with urinary incontinence, and it is becoming

more prevalent to see young adults and even teenagers who are

incontinent as well.

Urinary incontinence is the inability to manage or control

the voiding or passing of urine. It is the involuntary

passing of urine. There are a number of causes that can be

responsible for urinary incontinence, however, it must be

understood that urinary incontinence is a symptom of another

problem. It is not a disease; it is a condition; a condition

that affects over seven million men in the United States

alone, and an estimated forty million men around the world.

It is not a normal process of aging, instead it is a symptom

of another problem that is more often than not rooted in the

urinary tract.

The urinary system consists of the kidneys, ureter tubes (2),

bladder,urethra and two sphincter muscles. The urinary system

is responsible for storing and removing of urine from the

body. If any of the organs begin to malfunction it will impact

the whole system in a negative way, and even more importantly

is the functioning of the brain in the urinary system working

properly. If for some reason the brain is unable to send out

nerve signals to the various organs like it should the

urinary system can become chaotic to say the least. And if

the nerves that carries the orders to the organs in the

urinary system become damaged or diseased this too will

disrupt the smooth operation of the urinary system.

Here is a basic description of the urinary system when it is

operating properly.The kidneys (2) can be thought of as a

recycling or processing plant that is responsible for a very,

very important job. The kidneys remove all waste, excess

water and other impurities from the blood. With each

revolution that the blood makes from the heart throughout the

body and back to the heart, it picks up dead cells and other

impurities along with water. The blood will circulate

through the kidneys and it is there where the blood will be

thoroughly cleansed and all excess water will be removed from

it, and in addition to cleansing the blood the kidneys will

put back into the blood the right amount of sodium, phosphate

and potassium...and there's no room for a mistake.

Once the kidneys have cleansed the blood thoroughly it will

turn the refuse into urine. The excess water, waste and other

impurities that was removed from the blood is turned into

urine. The urine is then transported via the ureters to the

bladder where it will be stored. Everything starts with the

brain, when the brain is functioning properly it will first

send a message to the bladder to release its content or

urine. Actually the nerves signal will instruct the destrusor

muscle inside the walls of the bladder to expel the urine.

The detrusor muscle will follow that command by squeezing

spastically---actually taking the form of a funnel. When it

is working correctly it will remove all of the urine from

within the bladder---all of it.

The urine will travel through the urethra that is attached to

the bottle neck of the bladder. The sphincter muscle is

located at the junction or base where the urethra is attached

to the bladder.The urine will pass through the urethra,

through the prostate gland and out the male organ. When all

of the parts of the urinary system is working properly

storing and expelling urine from the body is a relatively

smooth operation, but when there are complications storing

and removing the urine from the body it can become a

complicated issue that in the worst case scenario end in

death for the individual with these complications.

Alzheimer, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson

disease,and cerebral palsy are just some of the diseases that

can attack the central nervous system and prevent the brain

from sending nerve signals that command and instruct organs

in the urinary system to store or release urine. A spinal

cord injury could very well interrupt the sending of nerves

signals to the bladder and prevent it from operating

properly. The bladder can contract cystitis (an inflamed

bladder), or in the worst case cancer. Urinary tract

infection left unchecked can attack the bladder and in some

extreme cases the kidneys too. If not caught and treated

early enough the consequences could be catastrophic.

Every organ that makes up the urinary system can be subjected

to infections and diseases that have the capacity to destroy

each organ and the urinary system as a whole if these

infections and diseases are not treated in a timely manner.

The prostate gland is not a part of the urinary system but it

plays such a pivotal role in the functioning of the system.

The prostate which is about the size of a chestnut or walnut

is situated at the base of the bladder where the urethra is

attached to the bladder. The prostate gland plays a very

important role in the reproductive system. It secretes a

viscid like fluid that assist the semen in transporting the

spermatozoa through the urethra and into the female sexual organ where the

spermatozoa will attempt to fertilize the female eggs. The

female sexual organ is an extremely acidic environ where the spermatozoa

would not be able to survive if it were not for the viscid

fluid that the prostate emits.

However,the prostate can become enlarged (benign prostatic

hyperplexia or BPH) making it difficult for the urine to pass

through the urethra. The urethra is a tube that connects to

the base or bottle neck of the bladder and runs through the

prostate and through the male organ where it discharges the

urine. If the enlarged prostate is medically treated in the

early stages, it can be successfully treated and the

passageway can be reopened for smooth traveling.

The cells within the prostate gland can become cancerous.

Rogue cells that break away from normal cell behavior can

group or mass together to form a tumor, the tumor can be

benign or it can turn out to be cancerous. If it is cancerous

it must be removed as quickly as possible to prevent the

cancer from metastasizing throughout the body.The name of the

surgery that removes the prostate gland from the body is

called a prostatectomy. If caught early on before it start

metastasizing, prostate surgery can be successful, however, by

waiting too long to seek help some patients become doomed.

Once the cancer spreads throughout the body; all too often it

ends on a sad note. It is imperative that men who are forty years and older

establish a close working relationship with their primary

care giver and/or urologist. Men must seek out medical help early on to avoid

a disastrous ending. Urinary incontinence in men shouldn't

be overlooked as a personal discomfort, or an irrelevant

inconvenience, instead, seek out medical care early on before

real trouble stops you dead in your tracks a few years later.

Over seven million men in the United States suffer from some

form or type of urinary incontinence, yet less than thirty

percent seek out medical care!

Urinary incontinence in men could be a symptom that your

prostate has become enlarged, or that your bladder is

inflamed,or any of a dozen or so reasons you might be having

problems with urination. Please do not wait until its too

late, seek medical help as quickly as you notice the symptoms

of urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence in all but a

minute number of cases can be healed or even completely

cured. An enlarged prostate can be successfully treated if it

is caught in its early stages. Cystitis, or an inflamed

bladder can also be successfully treated if caught in its

early stages.

Fact is, most urinary problems can be successfully addressed

if they are caught in time. It is all men responsibility to

make sure their urinary incontinence problem is made known to

a physician as quickly as possible; after all it really could

prove to be a life or death choice. Let's get on the ball

men.

by: D. 'Raye Samoth

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