Know About Urinary Incontinency In Elders

I had the fortune of attending a talk on urinary continence in elders along with my in-laws. The talk was very informative and covered various aspects on this symptom.

The doctor started off with telling us that urinary incontinence is a symptom and not a disease; it is caused by everyday habits, underlying medical conditions or physical problems. The doctor is the best person who can evaluate the reason behind an elder’s incontinence and offer solutions and help.

An elder could suffer from temporary urinary incontinence due to certain drinks, foods and medications that stimulate the bladder and increase the volume of urine. Some of the things that can act as diuretics are alcohol, caffeine, decaffeinated coffee and tea, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and carbonated drinks. Some of the other things that could cause urinary incontinence include foods that are high in sugar or acid especially citrus fruits as well as spices.

Some of the other causes for urinary incontinence include medications that are taken for heart and blood pressure, muscle relaxants and sedatives. It is significant to note that even the intake of high doses of Vitamin B or C could cause this symptom or condition.

The interesting talk of the doctor continued when he told us that urinary incontinence could also be caused by easily treatable medical conditions like urinary tract infection or UTI and constipation.

It is significant to understand that UTI causes infection that irritates the bladder and causes a strong urge to urinate or urinary incontinence. You could easily recognize a urinary tract infection by a burning sensation while urinating or foul smelling urine.

Constipation could also cause urinary incontinence because the rectum is also located near the bladder and shares common nerves. A hard compacted stool in the rectum could make the nerves overactive and increase the frequency of urination.

Urinary incontinence is not caused only in old age, but could have started in women much earlier. It could be a persistent condition that is caused by underlying physical problems or changes. Urinary incontinence could have started during pregnancy when there are hormonal changes in women and they gain weight.

The doctor went on to tell the other causes of stress incontinence namely childbirth. A vaginal delivery could weaken the muscles that are associated with bladder control and damage the nerves of the bladder and supporting tissues and lead to dropping of the pelvic wall. This leads to the bladder, uterus, rectum or small intestine to protrude into the vagina and cause urinary incontinence.

The next cause for persistent urinary incontinence could be menopause; women produce less estrogen after menopause that is vital to keep the lining of the bladder and uterus healthy. Urinary incontinence could aggravate when there is a deterioration of these tissues. As a corollary to it aging of the bladder muscle could also decrease the bladder’s capacity to store urine.

The doctor concluded that hysterectomy or removal of the uterus could also damage the supporting pelvic floor muscles and lead to urinary incontinence.  We thanked the doctor for his informative talk.