What is urinary retention?

Urinary retention is characterized as the inability to completely empty the bladder. This condition can occur for various reasons and can be acute or chronic. In acute urinary retention, a person may experience a sudden inability to urinate, while chronic retention might involve a gradual inability to completely empty the bladder during normal urination. This is significant because it can lead to discomfort, bladder damage, infections, or other complications if not addressed.

The other options do not define urinary retention accurately. Excessive urination refers to a higher frequency of urination than normal, which is not related to the ability to empty the bladder. Painful urination describes dysuria, which is a symptom of urinary tract infections or irritations, rather than a problem with bladder emptying. Lastly, frequent urination at night, known as nocturia, involves waking up to urinate multiple times during the night, but it does not specifically refer to the inability to fully empty the bladder. Thus, the definition of urinary retention as the inability to completely empty the bladder is the most accurate and relevant.