What are the Symptoms of Urinary Bladder Wall Thickening?

Urinary Bladder Wall Thickening: Causes & Symptoms

The urinary bladder is a muscular, balloon-shaped hollow organ in the pelvis. It works as a temporary urine reservoir from the kidneys before being expelled from the body. Bladder wall thickening (BWT) signals several underlying health challenges. However, bladder inflammation causes burning and abnormal pain with urination and frequent urination as symptoms.   

Defining Urinary Bladder Wall Thickening

Urinary bladder wall thickening is a health condition of abnormal enlargement in the muscular layer of the bladder. It is also popularly known as bladder wall hypertrophy for medical purposes.

The bladder wall consists of 4 main layers, including submucosa, mucosa, serosa, and muscularis propria. Once the muscular layers start thickening above the normal level, it impacts function.  

Symptoms of Urinary Bladder Wall Thickening

Clinical signs of BWT vary depending on the severity and duration of the underlying causes, especially in mild or early thickening. The basic symptoms of urinary bladder wall thickness are:

• Increased urination frequency
• Discomfort, intense pain, or a mild burning sensation during urination
• Painful urinal bleeding
• Bladder emptying issues leading to urinary tract infections and residual urine volume
• Pressure or pain in the lower abdomen, surrounding areas of the kidneys
• Foul-smelling and dark urine
• Sudden urgency of urination that cannot be delayed  
• Fever comes with vomiting or nausea.
• Nocturia

Causes of Urinary Bladder Wall Thickening

Urinary bladder wall thickening has multifactorial and diverse causes, including:

• Infection : Bladder infections due to bacterial pathogens can cause inflammation in the bladder lining that increases the thickness of the urinary bladder wall. Bacteria, viruses or fungal infections, such as Escherichia coli, are the common bacteria that trigger infection and BKT. 
• Bladder Obstruction : Conditions obstruct normal urinal flow from the bladder, causing BWT. For example, prostate gland enlargement in men and benign prostatic hyperplasia obstruct the urinary bladder outlet and cause wall thickening.  
• Neurological Bladder Damage : Impaired bladder response refers to neurologic dysfunction or damage. Multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and diabetic neuropathy usually disrupt normal innervation and lead to abnormal thickening of the wall.  
• Interstitial Infection : Painful bladder syndrome refers to a chronic inflammatory condition that causes urinary frequency, urgency and pelvic pain. This chronic inflammation makes structural changes in the wall, such as fibrosis and thickening.
• Bladder Cancer : If a tumour occurs in the muscle or bladder lining, it can increase the thickness of the wall. Tumours require space to grow, and when surrounding tissues in the urinary bladder lining area respond to the tumour's presence, it causes thickening.  

Urinary Bladder Wall Thickening Treatment

Treatment of BWT depends on the severity of physical symptoms and underlying causes. Here are some widely used treatment approaches:

• Antibiotics, like nitrofurantoin, amoxicillin, sulfonamides, etc., treat inflammation and alleviate recurrent infections.
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs manage pelvic pain and bladder irritation.   
• Medicines, including beta-3 agonists or anticholinergics, improve BKT complications and alleviate spasms to treat neurogenic bladder damage or dysfunction.
• Surgical interventions such as bladder augmentation and transurethral resection of the prostate restore urinary capacity and relieve obstruction.

Urinary tract infection, bladder cancer, interstitial cystitis, obstruction and neurogenic bladder damage are primary causes of bladder wall thickening.

BKT symptoms include pelvic pain, urinary bleeding, increased urinary frequency, burning sensation and pain during urination. Surgical interventions and antibiotics help reduce inflammation and eradicate infection.