Information about Urinary Incontinence
We Have to Know about the Urinary Incontinence
- Involuntary loss of urine
- Types of Urinary incontinence
- Stress urinary incontinence – Occurs while coughing or sneezing
- Urge incontinence- great desire to urinate that cannot be suppressed.
- Overflow incontinence- chronic retention of urine due to bladder outlet obstruction or bladder muscle dysfunction
- Total incontinence -continuous leakage of all the urine
Could be dangerous, if the answer is YES for any one of the following questions
Causes of Urinary Incontinence
- Stress urinary incontinence in females -childbirth injury, trauma, radiation, previous surgery to the urethra or bladder neck, atrophy of the genital tissues related to the menopause
- Stress urinary incontinence in males- pelvic fracture, radiation, trauma
- Urge incontinence- old age, radiation, bladder stones, bladder tumors TB of the bladder
- Overflow incontinence- prostate carcinoma, diabetes mellitus, pelvic surgery, low spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and stroke.
Do’s and Don’ts of Urinary Incontinence
Signs & Symptoms of Urinary Incontinence
- Stress urinary incontinence – activities like coughing, sneezing, lifting of heavy objects or getting up from a chair causes leakage.
- Urge incontinence – patient leaks before getting to a toilet
- Overflow incontinence – a persistent low-level leakage, which is often worse at night. Complaint of the poor stream, straining while passing urine and a feeling of incomplete emptying.
Medical advice for Urinary Incontinence
- If the symptoms persist for more than 1 week
- If there is burning or painful urination
Risk factors of Urinary Incontinence
- As you get older, the muscles in your bladder and urethra lose some of their strength
- Women are twice as likely as men
- Being overweight
- Smoking
Treatment for Urinary Incontinence
- Treatment of the cause
- Some cases may require surgery
Self-care for Urinary Incontinence
Investigations for Urinary Incontinence
- Urological examination
- Urological investigations