Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine and or fecal matter in men, women and sometimes children. Simply stated, urinary incontinence is defined as the loss of control of the act of urination or emptying of the bladder. In order to understand exactly why this happens, we must have basic understanding of the urination process and everything it entails.
The urinary system is made of the bladder, urethra, ureters and the kidneys which where urine is produced. It is then drained via the ureters into the bladder. It is here in the bladder where urine is stored until emptied through micturition (urinating). It all sounds simple but it requires coordination between muscles, the brain and nerves. The two muscles involved are the detrusor and the sphincter and coordination between the two is significant in the urination process because the detrusor contracts to squeeze urine out, while the sphincter contracts to keep urine in. Achieving bladder control must be learned, such as tying your shoes or learning to read and in some cases some children have more trouble than others. When this occurs in children, it is called enuresis.
The following are the most common types of urinary incontinence:
Stress Incontinence
This type occurs when an incompetent sphincter triggers involuntary leakage of urine on effort or on sneezing or coughing.
Urge Incompetence
Involuntary urine leakage accompanied by urgency of urination which in layman’s terms is the sudden desire to urinate that cannot be deferred. In urge incontinence, the detrusor muscle is unstable which leads to involuntary detrusor contraction. When this happens it may be secondary to neurological problems such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury among others. It may also be caused by bladder stones.
Functional Incontinence
This occurs when the patient is physically unable to reach the toile for reasons such as poor mobility caused by a musculoskeletal problem or because of unfamiliar surroundings.
True Incontinence
This type of incontinence may occur from birth and begins to manifest itself when potty training turns out being more difficult than usual. True incontinence can also occur in women whom develop a fistula (an abnormal channel between the bladder and the vagina) due to severe injury. There is continuous leakage of urine here.
Urinary incontinence can be a symptom of many different health problems which can be anything between cancer to kidney stones and even an enlarged prostate. Although it is a result of the aging process for both sexes due to the bladder muscles become weaker when you get older, it is more common among men than women. Millions of Americans are stricken with this plight and although there isn’t a way to cure with simple medicine, there are a variety of treatment options to choose from. At Luzato Medical Group we tailor treatment plans for all of our patients and discretion is what sets us apart from the rest. We know urinary incontinence can make us feel insecure but we urge patients to visit us if this were to occur. Contact us today for more information.