Urinary incontinence is an inability to hold your urine until you get to a toilet. Some women may lose a few drops of urine while running or coughing. Others may feel a strong, sudden urge to urinate just before losing a large amount of urine. UI can be slightly bothersome or totally debilitating. Stress incontinence may occur as a result of weakened pelvic muscles that support the bladder and urethra, or because of malfunction of the urethral sphincter. Prior trauma to the urethral area, neurological injury, and some medications may weaken the urethra. Urinary incontinence has been reported to affect 35% of American women over 50 years of age an almost 15% who have leakage on a daily basis. Approximately 60% of women with incontinence will have stress incontinence.
Causes
Stress incontinence occurs because of dysfunction in the mechanisms that normally control release of urine from your bladder.
Common causes of urinary incontinence
* For women, thinning and drying of the skin in the vagina or urethra, especially after menopause
* For men, enlarged prostate gland or prostate surgery
* Weakened pelvic muscles
* Certain medicines
* Build-up of stool in the bowels
* Not being able to move around
* Urinary tract infection
* Problems such as diabetes or high calcium levels
Symptoms
SUI symptoms are defined as the accidental leakage of urine during physical activities such as sneezing, coughing, laughing, lifting or exercising, and affect the social and emotional well-being of up to 65 million women worldwide. Swelling results from accumulation of fluid in the tissues (edema). The swelling may cause weight gain. Swelling is usually most noticeable in the ankles and feet, but it may also involve the abdomen, lower back, hands, and face.
Treatment
Brief doses of electrical stimulation can strengthen muscles in the lower pelvis in a way similar to exercising the muscles. Electrodes are temporarily placed in the vagina or rectum to stimulate nearby muscles. This will stabilize overactive muscles and stimulate contraction of urethral muscles. Electrical stimulation can be used to reduce both stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
The cystoscopic examination is a procedure in which a small tube with a telescope attached, is inserted into the bladder so the doctor can look for any abnormalities in the bladder and lower urinary tract. PVR measurement measures how much urine is left in the bladder after urinating by placing a small soft tube into the bladder.
Most stress incontinence results from the bladder dropping down toward the vagina. Therefore, common surgery for stress incontinence involves pulling the bladder up to a more normal position. Working through an incision in the vagina or abdomen, the surgeon raises the bladder and secures it with a string attached to muscle, ligament, or bone.
Stress Urinary Incontinence Treatment
Urinary incontinence is the involuntary release of urine. It may be caused by physiologic, pharmacologic, pathologic, or psychological factors.There are two main types of urinary incontinence: stress incontinence and urge incontinence. Incontinence is most common among the elderly. Older men can become incontinent as the result of prostate surgery. Urinary incontinence can be caused by many different medical problems, including weak pelvic muscles or diabetes. According to the International Continence Society, urinary incontinence is defined as a condition of involuntary urine loss that is objectively demonstrable and is a social or hygienic problem. It is often temporary, and it almost always results from an underlying medical condition. Women experience incontinence twice as often as men. Pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, and the structure of the female urinary tract account for this difference.
Women are more likely than men to have urinary incontinence. This type of incontinence is a constant dripping of urine. Urinary incontinence is not associated with increased mortality. Treatment depends on what's causing the problem and what type of incontinence you have. Age is a risk factor for UI. Older individuals may have medical conditions that impair continence. It is often found in people who have conditions such as diabetes, stroke, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, but may be an indication of other diseases or conditions that would also warrant medical attention. Urinary incontinence is the inability to control the release of urine from your bladder. The problem has varying degrees of severity. Incontinence is treatable and often curable at all ages. If your urinary incontinence is caused by a medical problem, the incontinence will go away when the problem is treated.
Causes of Urinary incontinence
The common causes and risk factor's of Urinary incontinence include the following:
Anatomic, physiologic, or pathologic (disease) factors.
Smoking is also a major risk factor of Urinary incontinence.
Problems such as diabetes or high calcium levels.
Urinary tract infection
Certain medicines.
Depression or Alzheimer's disease.
Nerve or muscle damage after pelvic radiation.
Build-up of stool in the bowels.
Symptoms of Urinary incontinence
Some sign and symptoms related to Urinary incontinence are as follows:
Inability to urinate.
An increased rate of urination without a proven bladder infection.
Leakage of urine that prevents activities.
Frequent bladder infections.
Bed-wetting or leaking while sleeping.
Leakage of urine that began or continued after surgery.
Treatment of Urinary incontinence
Here is list of the methods for treating Urinary incontinence:
Kegel exercises and bladder training help some types of incontinence.
A pessary is a stiff ring that is inserted by a doctor or nurse into the where it presses against the wall of the and the nearby urethra. The pressure helps reposition the urethra, leading to less stress leakage.
Some Medicines are also used to treat Urinary incontinence.
When other therapy fails, or when incontinence symptoms become severe, surgical treatment may be necessary.
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