Bladder overactivity usually leads to embarrassing situations for senior citizens suffering from conditions like Parkinson’s and other urinary tract infections. Seeking to find a solution for this problem, scientists from the University of Birmingham and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have intended to probe into the defects found in the electrical activity of the bladder that leads to urine incontinence.
Professionals will make use of computational tools to examine the bladder that may give them a fair idea on how cells control electrical reactions in the bladder. The team will investigate the reasons why the bladder becomes overactive in old age and during diseases like diabetes by means of experiments with biological tissues. Further, the computational models will be used to develop new avenues to treat bladder dysfunction.
“Bladder overactivity is no fun, whether you’re in the India or the UK. People in both countries are living longer, and with that comes ever more urinary incontinence; we need to be able to better treat this neglected and embarrassing problem,†remarked Keith Brain, Senior Lecturer in Neuropharmacology, at the University of Birmingham.
Present therapies used for the treatment of bladder problems do not appear to provide satisfactory results. Moreover, the side-effects associated with them have restricted their use to quite an extent. There is a need to address this seemingly neglected health condition, the scientists asserted.
The team is of the opinion that computational methods could pave the path to better understanding and treatment of bladder problems.