Urinary Incontinence
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Urinary incontinence, or bladder control loss, can range from mild leakage to uncontrollable urine loss.
Causes include:
The main types of incontinence are:
Stress incontinence – leakage while laughing, sneezing, coughing or lifting a heavy object
Urge incontinence, or overactive bladder – immediate need to urinate with little warning to make it to the restroom
Overflow incontinence – involuntary urine release from an overfull bladder, often without urge to urinate
Mixed incontinence – shares the causes of stress and urge incontinence
Causes include:
- Aging
- Obesity
- Surgery involving the bladder or vagina in women
- Surgery involving the bladder or prostate in men
- Childbirth
- Medications
- Diabetes
- Neurologic conditions:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
- Spinal cord injury
The main types of incontinence are:
Stress incontinence – leakage while laughing, sneezing, coughing or lifting a heavy object
Urge incontinence, or overactive bladder – immediate need to urinate with little warning to make it to the restroom
Overflow incontinence – involuntary urine release from an overfull bladder, often without urge to urinate
Mixed incontinence – shares the causes of stress and urge incontinence
Urinary Incontinence — Dr. Julie Stewart
Julie Stewart, MD, a neuro-urologist at Houston Methodist’s Center for Restorative Pelvic Medicine, explains the differences in urinary incontinence in women and describes treatment options.
Diagnosing Urinary Incontinence
Tests might include:- Urinalysis
- Post-void residual measurement – measuring the amount of urine left in bladder
- Bladder function tests
- Cystoscopy – accurately measures prostate size and collects more obstruction information
- Cystogram – X-rays using dye reveal urinary tract problems
- Ultrasound
Urinary Incontinence Treatments
- Behavior modification
- Diet changes
- Botox injections
- Pessaries
- Pelvic floor physical therapy
- Medications
- Surgery:
- Urethral bulking agent – reduces the opening of the urethra to prevent urine leakage
- Sling procedure – body tissue or synthetic material is used to create a “sling” to keep the urethra closed and prevent urine leakage
- Artificial urinary sphincter – a device is implanted around the neck of a man’s bladder to keep the urinary sphincter closed until he is ready to urinate
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