Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence means you lose bladder control or can’t store urine like you should.
This problem is not a normal part of aging. It often affects older persons because muscles used in bladder control don’t work as well with aging.
Signs, Symptoms & Causes
For Acute Incontinence
This form comes on suddenly. Often, it is a symptom of a new illness or problem. Examples are a bladder infection, diabetes (new or out-of-control), and inflammation of the prostate, urethra, or vagina. It can also be a side effect of some medicines, such as water pills.
This form is often easily reversed when the problem that caused it is treated.
For Persistent Incontinence
This form comes on gradually over time. It lingers or remains, even after other problems have been treated. There are many types of this form. The ones below cause 80% of cases.
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•Stress Incontinence. Urine leaks out when there is a sudden rise in pressure in the abdomen. This can happen when you cough, sneeze, laugh, lift, jump, run, or strain to pass stool. This type is more common in women than in men.
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•Urge Incontinence. With this type, the urge to pass urine is so strong and comes on so fast, that the urine is released before you can get to the toilet. This type can be caused by an enlarged prostate gland, a spinal cord injury, or an illness, such as Parkinson’s disease.
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•Mixed Incontinence. This type is a mix of stress and urge types of incontinence.
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•Overflow Incontinence. This is the constant dribbling of urine because the bladder overfills. This may be due to an enlarged prostate, diabetes, or multiple sclerosis.
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•Functional Incontinence. With this type, you have trouble getting to the bathroom fast enough, even though you have bladder control. This can happen in a person who is physically challenged.
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•Total Incontinence. This is a rare type with complete loss of bladder control. Urine leakage can be constant.
Overactive Bladder
With this condition, you have at least 2 of these problems:
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•An urgency to pass urine.
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•Urge incontinence. (See above.)
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•You pass urine 8 or more times a day and 2 or more times during night.
Treatment
The first step is to find out if another problem causes the incontinence and to treat that problem. Other treatments include:
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•Pelvic floor exercises, called Kegel exercises. (See below.)
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•Medication.
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•Collagen injections. These treat a certain type of stress incontinence.
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•Surgery, as needed, to correct the problem.