Know About Urinary Incontinence

It was just the other day that we were talking about urinary incontinence that affects the elderly; occurring due to the involuntary contraction and relaxing of the bladder muscles. This problem signified by the inability to control the release of urine from the bladder affects nearly 10 out of 100 elders over the age of 65. Ranging from mild occasional leaking to chronic uncontrolled urination it could be temporary occur due to UTI, vaginal infection, constipation or certain medications or permanent.

There are various types of urinary incontinence. They are: 

Stress incontinence: This type of urinary incontinence occurs when there is an unexpected leakage of urine that occurs due to pressure or sudden muscle contraction in the bladder. This sort of incontinence occurs more in women who are young or middle-aged during exercise, coughing, sneezing or even laughing. While stress incontinence occurs in younger women due to inherent weakness of the pelvic walls or as an effect of stress of childbirth, it occurs in middle-aged women nearing menopause.

Urge incontinence: Also known as overactive bladder, this type of incontinence occurs when a person feels the urge to urinate, but is unable to hold back the urine long enough to get to the bathroom. This form of urinary continence is more common in people that have had a stroke and suffer from chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and diabetes. It is significant to understand that urge incontinence could also be an early sign of bladder cancer. 

Overflow incontinence: This type of urinary incontinence occurs when there is chronic bladder outflow obstruction and the person is unable to empty his bladder completely and it overflows with the new urine produced. In this type you are unable to completely empty the bladder and later dribble. Overflow incontinence also known as a neurogenic bladder occurs more commonly in elderly men who suffer from an enlarged prostrate. It is also common to find it in those who have suffered   diabetes or spinal cord injuries. Early assessment and intervention is necessary in this type of urinary incontinence.

Functional incontinence: This type of urinary incontinence has more to do with the person’s inability to reach the bathroom that is due to poor mobility or unfamiliar surroundings rather than a disorder of the bladder. Found to be more common in the elderly and those with disabilities, it is found in those that have normal or near normal bladder control. 

Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB): Here the urgency occurs with or without urge incontinence; occurring with frequency and nocturia. Nocturia is a condition that is more prevalent in old men and women and makes them wake up in the night due to various reasons. Overactive bladder syndrome could be 'OAB wet' or 'OAB dry', depending on whether or not the urgency is associated with incontinence. The usual cause of the problem is over activity of the detrusor. 

Gross total incontinence: In this type of incontinence there is constant leaking of urine from a bladder that simply has no storage capacity or functioning. This condition usually results from an anatomical defect, a spinal cord injury, an abnormal opening in the bladder (fistula) or as an after-effect of urinary tract surgery.

I shall soon come out with more about urinary incontinence especially in the elderly.

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