Urinary urgency
Synonyms and keywords: urgency

# Overview
Urinary urgency is a sudden, compelling urge to urinate. It is often, though not necessarily, associated with interstitial cystitis, urge urinary incontinence, polyuria and nocturia.  Urinary urgency often occurs as a result of irritation and/or inflammation of the urothelium (aka the bladder wall). In interstitial cystitis, urinary frequency and urgency are the hallmark symptoms, in addition to nocturia and dyspareunia. In many cases, however, these symptoms are often exacerbated by the consumption of foods and/or beverages that are high in acid and caffeine, particularly coffees, regular teas, green teas, sodas, diet sodas and, surprisingly, fruit juices. Cranberry juice, for example, often causes extreme urgency in patients with a damaged bladder lining due to its high acid content.

# Causes

## Life Threatening Causes
- Appendicitis
- Congestive heart failure
- Kidney cancer
- Liver failure
- Occupational cancer
- Pelvic tumors
- Pheochromocytoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma of lung
- Stroke
- Urethral cancer
- Urinary tract neoplasm

## Common Causes
- Acromegaly
- Addison's disease
- behavioral or psychogenic water drinking
- Congestive heart failure
- Cushing's syndrome
- Diabetes insipidus
- Diabetes mellitus
- Drugs- BCG vaccine
- Emphysematous cystitis
- Enlarged prostate from disease or benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Fanconi syndrome/renal glycosuria
- Glomerulonephritis
- high doses of riboflavin
- Hyperaldosteronism/Conn's syndrome
- Hypercalcaemia
- Hypercalcemia (most commonly from cancer)
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypokalemia
- hypopituitarism
- Interstitial cystitis
- Interstitial nephritis
- Intestinal obstruction  (occurs after toxins begin to be absorbed from the damaged intestine)
- Liver failure/ cirrhosis
- Lupus or other connective tissue disease related cystitis
- Neurologic damage
- Partial obstruction of the urinary tract
- Pheochromocytoma
- Polycythemia
- Pregnancy
- Pyometra in certain animals or appendicitis in humans
- Reactive arthritis/Reiter's syndrome
- Renal Tubular Acidosis
- SIADH
- Side effect of lithium to treat manic disorders see lithium thirst
- Sjogren's Syndrome
- Squamous cell carcinoma of lung (a paraneoplastic consequence)
- Urinary tract infection - although it more commonly causes frequent passage of small volumes of urine rather than a large volume

## Causes by Organ System

## Causes in Alphabetical Order
- Acromegaly
- Acute bacterial prostatitis
- Addison's disease
- Alcohol
- Aminohippurate
- Anxiety
- Appendicitis
- Ataxia
- Bendrofluazide
- Benign prostate hyperplasia
- Bladder calculi
- Bladder cancer
- Bladder distention
- Bladder irritation
- Bladder neck obstruction
- Bladder outflow obstruction
- Blocked urine flow
- Bumetanide
- Caffeine
- Calcification of basal ganglia
- Canagliflozin
- Cardioquin
- Chronic interstitial cystitis
- Congestive heart failure
- Conivaptan
- Constipation
- Cushing's syndrome
- Cystitis
- Dapagliflozin
- Detrusor instability
- Diabetes insipidus
- Diabetes mellitus
- Diabetic neuropathy
- Diuretics
- Diverticulitis
- Empagliflozin
- Emphysematous cystitis
- Enlarged prostate
- Excessive water consumption
- Fanconi syndrome
- Frusemide
- Glomerulonephritis
- Hemorrhoids
- Hydrochlorothiazide
- Hyperaldosteronism
- Hypercalcemia
- Hyperglycaemia
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Hypertension-like disorders
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypokalemia
- Hypopituitarism
- Incontinence
- Interstitial cystitis
- Interstitial nephritis
- Intestinal obstruction
- Isosorbide
- Kidney cancer
- Kidney stones
- Lithium
- Liver failure
- Mannitol
- Median bar hypertrophy
- Medullary cystic kidney disease type 1
- Medullary cystic kidney disease type 2
- Multiple sclerosis
- Nephronophthisis type 1
- Neurogenic bladder
- Neurologic damage
- Nutrasweet
- Occupational cancer
- Overactive bladder syndrome
- Parasympatholytic drugs
- Partial obstruction of the urinary tract
- Pelvic tumors
- Pheochromocytoma
- Poliomyelitis
- Polycythemia
- Polydipsia
- Pregnancy
- Prostatic hypertrophy
- Prostatitis
- Pudendal nerve entrapment
- Pyelonephritis
- Pyometra
- Quinaglute dura-tabs
- Quinalan
- Quinidex
- Quinidine
- Quinora
- Quin-release
- Radiation therapy
- Reiter's syndrome
- Renal calculus
- Renal tubular acidosis
- Riboflavin
- Salpingitis
- Siadh
- Sicca syndrome
- Sjogren's syndrome
- Sorbitol
- Spastic paraplegia
- Spastic pelvic floor syndrome
- Spinal cord injury
- Spinal cord lesions
- Squamous cell carcinoma of lung
- Stroke
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Tabes dorsalis
- Tolvaptan
- Urethra infection
- Urethral cancer
- Urethral stricture
- Urge incontinence
- Urinary tract infection
- Urinary tract neoplasm
- Urine leakage
- Vaginitis

# Support Resource
- Interstitial Cystitis Network (ICN)

# Intervention
- Bladder Friendly Diet (aka IC Diet)
- Behavioural Techniques
- Anti-Cholinergic