Overactive bladder syndrome affects seven million people in the UK and it can cause them great embarrassment. So what can the pharmacy team do to help customers who may be suffering from this condition?

The kidneys make urine all the time. A trickle of urine passes down tubes known as ureters from the kidneys to the bladder. The bladder is made of muscle and stores the urine.

The outlet from the bladder (the urethra) is normally kept closed. When the bladder contains a certain amount of urine, we become aware of the need to go to the toilet. When a person goes to the toilet, the bladder muscles contract and the urethra relaxes.

Complex nerve messages from the brain direct the bladder when to feel full and also which muscles to contract and relax. An overactive bladder (OAB) is when the bladder contracts suddenly without the person being in control and without the bladder being full. Symptoms include:

• Urgency: this means that the person gets a sudden, urgent desire to pass urine and is not able to put off going to the toilet
• Frequency: this means going to the toilet often €“ more than seven times a day. For many people, it is a lot more than seven times a day
• Nocturia: this means waking to go to the toilet more than once at night
• Urge incontinence: this can occur in some cases. This is a leaking of urine before the person can get to the toilet when they have a sudden feeling of urgency.

The cause of OAB syndrome is not known. Although OAB can be linked to diseases of the nervous system such as Parkinson's disease, or may occur after a stroke or as a result of a urinary tract infection, these conditions are not classed as OAB syndrome as they have a known cause.