10 February 2022

Jane Young, our Bladder and Bowel Nurse Consultant has written about bowel management and bladder dysfunction in people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), both for the British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing.

In Bowel management in multiple sclerosis, she writes about Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction (NBD), which is a common and often disabling feature of MS.

She concludes that: “When bowel dysfunction is identified, health professionals need to discuss management options and refer to an appropriate specialist where required. In most cases, a systematic approach to assessment will reveal a diagnosis of the underlying cause of NBD. There is no quick fix; each patient will be unique, and they must be listened to sincerely and followed up so treatments can be adjusted.

“There is a plethora of treatment options available, so health professionals must be sure to ask the right questions to uncover these often embarrassing and distressing symptoms of MS.”

She also contributed to Management of bladder dysfunction in people with multiple sclerosis, which is a consensus document.

This concludes that there is still some way to go to address the escalating health and economic burden posed by Lower Urinary Tract dysfunction in people with MS (PwMS).

And this document adds that the incidence of hospital admissions for Urinary Tract Infections among this group is increasing.

It calls for “a bladder management pathway to be integrated into the optimum MS care pathway, which should lead the way to more collaboration between MS and continence care services, with improved protocols for referrals.

“It is hoped this will help address unwarranted variations in care offered to PwMS with bladder problems. Central to good outcomes is the panel’s recommendation that all PwMS should be offered a structured self-management plan supplemented with educational and health professional support.”