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Urinary Incontinence
What is it?
Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage, or loss, of urine due to the inability to control urine release from the bladder. It results from an underlying cause that can be permanent (such as a stroke) or temporary (such as a urinary tract infection). Individuals with urinary incontinence may experience leakage to different extents ¯ from occasional slight dribbles to frequent complete wetting of clothing with urine. Incontinence affects almost 50 % of individuals who live in institutions, such as nursing homes, and 20 % of individuals who are not institutionalized.
There are five types of urinary incontinence.
Stress Incontinence - Stress incontinence occurs when pressure or stress is placed on the bladder, mainly during activities that require exertion, such as exercising, running, coughing, laughing, and sneezing. The most common type of incontinence that occurs in women, stress incontinence is often due to damage to the urinary sphincter (the muscle that controls urine exiting the bladder) or urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder).
Urge Incontinence (Overactive Bladder) - Urge incontinence begins with a sudden, strong need to urinate, followed by bladder contraction, and ultimately by involuntary loss of urine. Individuals who have urge incontinence have to urinate frequently. Urge incontinence is most common in the elderly. Some individuals who experience urge incontinence may even have to wake up several times during the night to urinate (known as nocturia).
Overflow Incontinence - Often, the amount of urine that is produced is more than the bladder can hold. Overflow incontinence occurs when the bladder is full to capacity, but is unable to empty completely, thus causing urine to spill out. Individuals who urinate frequently but only produce a weak, dribble of urine may have overflow incontinence. Also, overflow incontinence occurs mostly in men, particularly those who have an enlarged prostate or other abnormality that may prevent normal emptying of the bladder.
Functional Incontinence (Environmental Incontinence) - Functional incontinence occurs mostly in elderly individuals who are in a hospital or long-term care facility. Patients with functional incontinence often have normal bladder control, but they cannot always get to the toilet in time due to physical or mental conditions that interfere with normal toilet use.
Mixed Incontinence - Mixed incontinence is a combination of different types ¯ usually stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
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What is it?
