While Botox is a well-known term in the world of cosmetics, many of us may not actually pay attention to its health benefits if there are any. In such a scenario, a team from the University of Leicester has found an apparent solution for urinary incontinence in the form of Botox treatments.
But as surprising as it may sound, scientists have found that women who were exposed to Botox seemingly experienced continence in their urinary patterns. The study was carried out in a set of 240 women who were suffering from severe detrusor overactivity or DO. These women had already tried 2 forms of drug treatments earlier which turned out to be futile.
“The treatment is not without complications; about 1 in 8 women had some difficulty emptying their bladder at some time in the six months after treatment (due to paralysis of the bladder muscle). This was treated by teaching the women to use disposable catheters, but the effect does wear off after about six months on average,” commented Dr. Douglas Tincello, Senior Lecturer at the University and Honorary Consultant Gynaecologist at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
As for the major findings of the study, the times of urinary urgency for some women dropped from 6 daily to just once a day. Markedly, about 4 in 10 women seemed to become continent after this kind of treatment. However, the effects did seem to lessen after six months or so.
As just mentioned, treatment with botulinum toxin generally marketed by the name Botox had its own set of limitations. Certain discrepancies were observed in the participants after some months. Thus, the team asserted that the treatment effect lasted for about 6 months before certain symptoms cropped up again.
Botulinum toxin is basically a drug which professionals believed showed promise in alleviating bladder overactivity than standard medications used for the same. The report is published in the journal, European Urology.