Marais, AndreOsuch, Elzbieta2019-03-142019-03-142018Marais, A. & Osuch, E. 2018, 'Underlying causes of chronic bladder dysfunction', South African Family Practice, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 24-27.2078-6190 (print)2078-6204 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/2263/68654General practitioners and family physicians frequently encounter patients suffering from voiding disorders. Various underlying causes such as spinal cord injury, cerebrovascular accidents, traumatic brain injury and several neurological diseases including Parkinson’s disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis and vitamin deficiencies have been implicated. Chronic bladder conditions may cause social embarrassment and decrease quality of life in affected individuals. It is important to identify the most common underlying causes of bladder dysfunction and have adequate knowledge regarding the primary treatment and prevention of complications in order to reduce the economic burden created by this group of disorders.en© 2018 The Author(s). Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License [CC BY-NC 3.0] http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0.Chronic bladder conditionsInterstitial cystitisPainful bladder syndromeChronic urinary tract infectionUrinary incontinenceHematuriaBladder cancerArticle