Frequent urination is a condition defined when the need to urinate is felt several times an hour, caused by the false impression of once again having a full bladder. The quantity of urine passed during the day is not, however, larger, as the urinations are very small in volume. Daytime frequent urination is assessed based on the frequency with which the patient has to go to the toilet. This false impression is most of the time due to an irritation in one of the urinary organs. There can be many different underlying causes of this irritation, such as inflammation of the bladder, called cystitis or more commonly urinary infection, or prostatitis, which is an inflammation or benign swelling of the prostate in men.

Frequent urination can be a symptom of many different problems from kidney disease to simply drinking too much fluid. When frequent urination is accompanied by fever, an urgent need to urinate, and pain or discomfort in the abdomen, you may have a urinary tract infection. Other possible causes of frequent urination include:

Diabetes . Frequent urination with an abnormally large amount of urine is often an early symptom of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes as the body tries to rid itself of unused glucose through the urine.

Pregnancy . From the early weeks of pregnancy the growing uterus places pressure on the bladder, causing frequent urination.

Prostate problems . An enlarged prostate can press against the urethra (the tube that carries urine out the body) and block the flow of urine. This causes the bladder wall to become irritable. The bladder begins to contract even when it contains small amounts of urine, causing more frequent urination.

Interstitial cystitis . This condition of unknown cause is characterized by pain in the bladder and pelvic region. Often, symptoms include an urgent and/or frequent need to urinate.

Diuretic use. These medications that are used to treat high blood pressure or fluid buildup work in the kidney and flush excess fluid from the body, causing frequent urination.

Stroke or other neurological diseases. Damage to nerves that supply the bladder can lead to problems with bladder function, including frequent and sudden urges to urinate.