What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is a medical condition characterized by the inability to control urination. There are 3 main types of urinary incontinence – urge incontinence, stress incontinence, and overflow incontinence.
Urge incontinence is described as going before you reach the toilet – this is usually due to an overactive bladder. Stress incontinence is usually seen in women who have given birth as it is related to pelvic relaxation. Patients lose urinary control when they cough or bear down due to increased intraabdominal pressure. Overflow incontinence occurs when the bladder is full of urine and the urine spills out because it has reached its filling capacity. This usually occurs in men with …show more content…
• How common is urinary incontinence?
• What are the symptoms and signs of urinary incontinence?
• How is urinary incontinence diagnosed?
• How is urinary incontinence treated?
What causes urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is caused by variable factors depending on the type of incontinence. Urge incontinence is usually due to an overactive bladder. Patients have a sudden urge to go and often urinate prior to arriving at their bathroom destination.
Stress incontinence is usually seen in women who have given birth as it is related to pelvic relaxation. When women give birth the anatomy of their urinary and gynecologic tract gets altered, particularly in relation to the stretched pelvic muscles and angle of the urethra. Patients typically experience incontinence when bearing down or with Valsalva.
Overflow incontinence occurs when the bladder is full of urine and the urine spills out because it has reached its filling capacity. This usually occurs in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. This may also occur in individuals with spinal cord injury in the setting of trauma or multiple sclerosis.
Risk factors for urinary incontinence include:
• Obesity
• Having given