Contractions of the muscles of the urinary bladder during the filling phase of a urodynamic study or during coughing, sneezing, or other activities that raise intra-abdominal pressures. It is a cause of urinary incontinence, especially in women. Some experts believe detrusor overactivity to be the most common cause of urinary incontinence in older adults. Causes include urethral obstruction, cystitis, bladder carcinoma, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.
The detrusor muscle, located in the bladder wall, undergoes inappropriate contractions that result in the involuntary release of urine, even when the bladder is not adequately filled to initiate urination. This condition, known as urinary incontinence, can stem from various factors, including bladder inflammation, obstruction of the bladder outlet (such as from a stone or an enlarged prostate gland in men), or damage to the nerves that supply the bladder.