Incontinence Cause

• Incontinence Cause is by a new or recent medical problem that can be treated. Medical conditions such as urinary retention, fecal impaction/constipation, urinary tract infection and atrophic vaginitis can cause an onset. If one of these problems is identified, treatment to correct the problem should be started. Once the medical problem causing the incontinence is resolved, the incontinence should improve. In addition to medical problems, certain medications can cause or contribute to an incontinence problem.

There are basically four kinds of Incontinence Cause: Stress, Urge, Overflow, and functional incontinence. They may occur alone, as is usually the case in the young adult, or in combination, as seen the elderly.

Stress Incontinence Cause:
Stress Incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine that occurs during physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise.

Stress Incontinence is a bladder storage problem in which the strength of the urethral sphincter is diminished, and the sphincter is not able to prevent urine flow when there is increased pressure from the abdomen.

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.

Sphincter weakness may occur in men following prostate surgery or in women after pelvic surgery. Stress Incontinence is often seen in women who have had multiple pregnancies and vaginal childbirths, or who have pelvic prolapse (protrusion of the bladder, urethra, or rectal wall into the vaginal space), with cystocele, cystourethrocele, or rectocele.

Studies have documented that about 50% of all women have occasional urinary incontinence, and as many as 10% have frequent incontinence. Nearly 20% of women over age 75 experience daily urinary incontinence.

Stress Iincontinence is the most common type of urinary incontinence in women. Risk factors for Stress Incontinence include female sex, advancing age, childbirth, smoking, and obesity. Conditions that cause chronic coughing, such as chronic bronchitis and asthma, may also increase the risk of Stress Incontinence.

Urge Incontinence Cause
Urge incontinence involves a strong, sudden need to urinate immediately followed by a bladder contraction, resulting in an involuntary loss of urine.

Urge incontinence is basically a storage problem in which the bladder muscle contracts inappropriately. Often these contractions occur regardless of the amount of urine that is in the bladder. Urge incontinence may result from neurological injuries (such as spinal cord injury or stroke), neurological diseases (such as multiple sclerosis), infection, bladder cancer, bladder stones, bladder inflammation, or bladder outlet obstruction.

The majority of cases are classified as idiopathic -- a specific cause cannot be identified.

Although urge incontinence may occur in anyone at any age, it is more common in women and the elderly. It is second only to stress incontinence as the most common cause of urinary incontinence (involuntary loss of urine). Approximately 1% to 2% of adult females are affected by urge incontinence.

In men, urge incontinence may be due to secondary bladder injuries caused by benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) or bladder outlet obstruction from an enlarged prostate.

Symptoms

Sudden and urgent need to urinate (urinary urgency)
Frequent urination, in the daytime and at night
Abdominal distention or discomfort
Involuntary loss of urine

Overflow Incontinence Cause
People with overflow incontinence do not feel the urge to urinate. The bladder never empties normally and remains at least partially full; small amounts of urine are leaked on a nearly continuous basis. Weak bladder muscles -- caused by nerve damage from diabetes or other diseases -- or a blocked urethra can be responsible for overflow incontinence.

Overflow incontinence most frequently appears in older men in whom an enlarged prostate hinders the flow of urine; urinary stones or tumors also may block the urethra. Overflow incontinence is rare in women, although sometimes it is caused by fibroid or ovarian tumors. Spinal cord injuries or nervous system disorders are additional causes of overflow incontinence.

Some of the symptoms of overflow incontinence are:

Feeling as though the bladder is never completely empty.
Feeling the urge to urinate, but not being able to.
Passing a dribbling stream of urine, even after spending a long time at the toilet.
Frequently getting up at night to urinate.
Although some people with overflow incontinence never have the feeling of a full bladder, they may leak urine day and night.

Functional Incontinence Cause
Functional incontinence may occur after a major illness or in nursing homes. It accounts for 25% of the incontinence seen in hospitals and results when a person has difficulty moving from one place to another. Impairments (including poor vision, hearing, or speech which may influence success in reaching facilities and inability to notify caregivers of the need to use the bathroom) can cause functional incontinence. The person's home environment, such as a readily accessible bathroom, may cause incontinence. Usually the person complains that she/he "cannot hold my urine until I can get to the bathroom". This is usually due to decreased mental function, decreased functional status, and/or unwillingness to go to the toilet.