BladderTeam

The Importance Of The Bladder

The body is made up of many different things that work together in a complicated, beautiful system. This system does everything needed to allow a person to live their life –it pumps blood throughout the body, it pumps oxygen to the lungs, and it digests food and turns into waste that exits the body so the body can properly get rid of its toxins.

The organ responsible for getting rid of this waste is the urinary bladder, better known as the bladder. Officially described as the organ that “collects blood excreted by the kidneys” it is the organ that’s primarily responsible for removing urine from the body so that the body doesn’t get clogged down by harmful toxins and waste. In women, the bladder is anterior to the uteris but in infants and very young children, it is actually located in the abdomen.

The bladder is one part of what’s known as the urinary tract. There are multiple parts to the urinary tract and each one on necessary to the body’s health. The kidneys are part of the urinary tract and are responsible for actually producing urine; they filter waste and toxins out of the body’s blood and turn it into urine that needs to be expelled from the body. In order to get out of the body, the urine passes through something known as the ureters, which are small tubes that carry the urine from the kidneys to the bladder itself. Then there is also the urethra, which is the pathway out of the body that urine passes through.

The bladder is capable of holding anywhere from 300ml of urine to 500ml; an adult one is capable of holding 500ml, which is fifteen times its empty volume. Doctors have determined that the size of one’s bladder differs from person to person; some people are actually capable of holding over 1000 ml of urine, although that is not common by any means.

When the bladder becomes 25% full, it starts to signal to the body that it needs to be emptied, accounting for the “tingling” most people describe the desire to urinate as. In this early state, it’s very easy to ignore the urge. However, as it becomes more filled, the urge becomes stronger and harder to resist. When the bladder becomes completely full, the muscle known as the voluntary sphincter will automatically loosen, allowing the urine to leave the body whether someone wants it to or not.

Like all other organs in the body, the bladder is capable of becoming diseased. In fact, bladder infections are the second most common type of infection to occur within the human body. These types of infections occur when bacteria gets into the bladder when it shouldn’t and starts to multiply. While these infections are typically not serious, it can spread to the kidneys and become serious.

Overactive bladder is also common; this is a disorder where the bladder is constantly signaling that it needs to be emptied, many times without a real reason. This urge will often happen at night and it’s not uncommon for it to be accompanied by incontinence, or the loss of control over one’s bladder.

This organ is also capable of getting cancer like any other organ. It’s a result of malignant growths migrating there and starting to grow usually from someone where else; the most common type of cancer in this organ is known as transitional cell carcinoma.

Whether it’s only an infection or some more serious disease the cancer, most bladder issues start with the same set of symptoms including an increased need to urinate and then pain when one does urinate. The bladder is an amazing organ that is necessary to keeping the body clean and healthy.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.