AUA 2009: Bowel affects Bladder, cross-sensitization

[webslave]

The Role of Sensory Pathways in the Development of Cross-Sensitization Between the Urinary and Gastrointestinal Systems

Friday, 01 May 2009

CHICAGO, IL, USA (UroToday.com) - The pelvic floor medicine scientific session at the AUA covered a variety of interesting topics ranging from the emerging role of afferent pathways in overactive bladder (OAB) to follow-up on a variety of techniques for both male and female pelvic floor reconstruction to biomarkers in neurogenic an idiopathic bladder overactivity. The work of several centers are summarized her as a representation of the pelvic medicine sessions at the annual meeting in Chicago.

In her group's presentation, Dr. Anna Malykhina discussed the cross-sensitivity between the genitourinary and gastrointestinal systems using a model of chemically-induced colitis.

The authors demonstrated an increase in bladder inflammatory neuropeptides and changes in the expression of the sodium channels in the bladder dorsal root ganglia in patients with acute colitis suggesting that colonic inflammation can modify the function of the bladder.

[Webslave's note: this reminds of the existence of cross-talk as a major factor in the interplay between bowel, bladder, prostate and pelvic muscles]