Bowel/bladder connection

[Tip and IBS]

Sensitization Of Pelvic Nerve Afferents And Mast Cell Infiltration In The Urinary Bladder Following Chronic Colonic Irritation Is Mediated By Neuropep

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medi...&nfid=rssfeeds

UroToday.com- Irritable bowel syndrome and interstitial cystitis frequently overlap. Ustinova and colleagues from the University of Pittsburg have shown that acute colitis sensitizes urinary bladder afferents to both mechanical and chemical stimuli and that chronic colitis likewise produces neurogenic cystitis. Convergence of afferent pathways from the bladder and bowel is known to be a common feature of visceral interneurons which are thought to mediate vesico- and colono-sphincteric reflexes and colono-vesical corss-inhibitory interactions. Studies performed at the University of Pittsburg employing single unit C-fiber bladder afferent recording revealed that acute colonic irritation is capable of sensitizing urinary bladder afferents to mechanical and chemical stimuli, and interruption of the neural input to the bladder can ameliorate this effect, suggesting a direct afferent pathway from the colon.

The investigators hypothesized that chronic irritation of the colon releases neuropeptides from bladder afferent endings leading to receptor sensitization and neurogenic inflammation. They recorded single unit C-fiber bladder activity from fine filaments of the pelvic nerve in urethane-anesthetized Sprague-Dawley female rats and assessed their responsiveness to mechanical (bladder distention) and chemical (intravesical capsaicin, bradykinin, or substance P) stimulation 10 days following intracolonic administration of trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) or vehicle. To evaluate the role of C-fiber afferents and their associated neuropeptides, animals were pre-treated with capsaicin or vehicle 3 days prior to TNBS administration.

Chronic colonic irritation in the rat with TNBS sensitizes urinary bladder afferents to mechanical and chemical stimuli and induces bladder mastocytosis. A role of C-fiber afferents was further substantiated in this model of neurogenic cystitis as capsaicin pretreatment significantly ameliorated these effects. The authors experiments provide further support for neural processes in mediating cross-sensitization of pelvic organs and the overlap of PBS/IC, irritable bowel syndrome, and other chronic pelvic pain disorders.

Elena E Ustinova, Dmitriy W Gutkin, and Michael A Pezzone
American Journal of Physiology Renal Physiology (August 22, 2006) doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00162.2006.

Reviewed by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Philip M Hanno, MD, MPH

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Copyright © 2006 - UroToday

[sami4]

Very interesting post. Same basic nerves supply both bladder and bowel so damage to them could effect both very easily.
I also am suspicious that restless leg syndrome is also connected to bladder problems because when I had a evaluation in the sleep disorder clinic they woke me up after they said my legs were moving restlessly and then I would wake up and ask to go pee. They came in with a sleep mask at the start of the leg movement and I could feel the nerves in the back of my calf, up to my hip, pelvic floor and into the urethra which made me feel like I wanted to pee. I never knew I had restless legs, but I could feel the nerve impulses going up and down that neurological pathway and it was very unpleasant.
Sammi

[Tip and IBS]

Hi Sami

You know what,i never knew i had "restless legs" till i used a camera on me while sleeping.I was stunned to see the kick of my leg.***?

I think it maybe du to abnormal motility of the cecum creating leg spasm.

[sami4]

I called my accupuncturist, Dr. Pearl Sun and told her about the restless leg thing and she said I was discribing the pelvic, bladder, bowel meridian exactly.
Another poster mentioned RL can have a connection to low iron, this is not in my case as my serum iron level is a little on the high side of normal.
It is interesting to me that three years ago I had Shingles on that same side as the restless leg. Although I dont have neurological pain where I had shingles, I started having IC and VV symptoms and was eventually diagnosed.
Shingles is known to do nerve damage and lives in the spinal cord until its activated by low immune system or whatever!
I do not think all this stuff is just coincidence, I believe there is a connection and once nerves get damaged the whole nerve tree reacts.
Sammi

[Angelhrt]

I too believe that I have RLS. However, I am unaware of what happens in sleep. How can I find out more about being diagnosed or find out if I even have it? Will my uro know this? As far as the irritable bowel is concerned, I have had this for years and I cant stand it. I hate stomach aches. Do they have a treatment for this and can my uro help me with this as well?

[Tip and IBS]

Hi Angelh

You simply put a camera on you whil sleeping.You need a camera Nigthshade or you let the ligth open and cover your eyes.

You also need a camera who allow 6 hours of recording.

[sami4]

You can also go to a physicians group that specializes in sleep disorders, some are neurologists, some are pulmonary specialists and they will order a sleep study where you get hooked up to a bunch of wires and they video and watch you sleep. Then they compile the information, and then a treatment plan. A lot of times RL can just be diagnosed in the office.
Sammi

[sue041]

Hi, my doctor said that my rectum is pertruding in other words it is turning inside out, I have a very hard time when I have a bowel movement, I take Milk of Magnesia, Metumical and laxatives. Just today I could not go from the milk of magnesia I took last night, a 1/4 cup I drank I was so miserable, I used a fleet suppository and it did not help much I get so jammed up down there that everything is pertruding, but I cannot have a bowel movement that makes me feel like I am finished. I drink a lot of water day and night, I get awake at night and drink water because my throat dries out I think from the medicines. I eat raisin bran cereal, which does nothing, If anyone knows of anything I could take daily to keep me going, please post. I checked out the other sites mentioned, but it is nothing that I did not try before.
Thanks again for your help.
Sue

[Tip and IBS]

rectum is pertruding

Which test have you done for this diagnosis?

Do you mean rectal prolapse or intusception?