Women who binge drink end up with burst bladders
Kayleigh:
November 9th, 2007
Women who have had one too many after a night out are ending up in hospital with burst bladders, according to the British Medical Journal.
The problem occurs when women drink too much and don’t realise their bladder is too full, which then causes it to rupture.
Previously it had only reportedly happened to men, but now it is effecting women more and more as increasing numbers take up binge drinking.
Mr Mohantha Dooldeniya is a surgeon at Pinderfields Hospital. He has seen 3 women in the past year who have suffered from a burst bladder. He says the reason why the bladder burst is because the bladder was full with urine but the person didn’t realise they needed the toilet because of the numbing effects of the alcohol they had drunk. He said:
“In women, the feeling was because they have a short urethra they are more likely to leak than rupture. A minor trauma, such as a fall, can increase the risk the bladder will burst.”
This isn’t the only problem associated with binge drinking. According to TheSite.org, if you binge drink on a regular basis you could suffer from heart problems later in life. There’s also your liver to think about. If battered by too much drink, the liver could develop a disease called cirrhosis. Alcohol also affects your skin too, as it makes you dehydrated and, therefore, it doesn’t get the vital nutrients it needs.
Alcohol related health problems are also taking its toll on the NHS and it is costing them up to £3 billion a year.
This is all well and good, it has certainly put me off drinking too much, but i can’t seem to keep away from the toilet when i’m drinking so i don’t think i have to worry about this happening to me too much! The problem is the label of a binge drinker, if you have more than a few glasses of wine you are labelled a binge drinker, but the fact is, everyone is different and can handle different amounts. I can certainly handle a lot more when i now than when i first started drinking, but i wouldn’t call myself a binge drinker!