neurogenic bladder
Bladder dysfunction caused by neurological damage, resulting in impaired control of urinary storage or voiding, and a common secondary complication managed in rehabilitation.
Full Definition
Neurogenic bladder occurs when injury or disease disrupts the neural pathways governing bladder function, most frequently following spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease. It may present as overactivity (urgency, incontinence), underactivity (urinary retention), or a combination. Management in rehabilitation includes intermittent catheterisation programs, pharmacological therapy, and bladder training. Editors working on spinal cord injury or neuro-rehabilitation documents will encounter this term frequently and should distinguish it from 'stress incontinence' or 'urge incontinence', which are symptom descriptors rather than aetiological terms. The preferred closed compound form is 'neurogenic bladder' (not hyphenated).
Usage
Usage note: Write as two words, no hyphen. Do not substitute with 'incontinence' alone, which is a symptom rather than a diagnosis.
In Context
- "Neurogenic bladder management was initiated with an intermittent catheterisation program at four-hour intervals." — Spinal cord injury rehabilitation care plan
- "The report correctly distinguished neurogenic bladder from overactive bladder, which has no neurological aetiology." — Urology rehabilitation journal article review