Urinary incontinence refers to accidental or involuntary loss of urine due to inability to control the bladder. It is a common problem in older people of both genders, however it is not openly discussed due to associated embarrassment. The severity of urinary incontinence may be different for different people. It may range from slight dribbling urine when you cough or sneeze to having a sudden strong urge to urinate that you don’t get to a toilet in time.
Although urinary incontinence is more likely to occur as people get older, it is not an inevitable consequence of aging.
Causes Of Urinary Incontinence
If you are suffering from urinary incontinence, it means your bladder is unable to properly regulate the holding or releasing of urine. There could be many reasons that cause accidental leakage of urine such as, improper signaling between your brain and bladder, some sort of blockage in your urinary system or difficulty in controlling the muscles around your bladder.
A few of the common causes of urinary incontinence are:
Prostate issues: An enlarged prostate can result in problems with urinary control in older men. This can present as a weak urine stream, frequent need to urinate and leaking.
Nerve damage: Nerves and muscles work hand-in-hand for control of urination. If you have a health condition that results in nerve damage such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and dementia you may develop urinary incontinence.
Fluid intake habits: Some beverages like alcohol and caffeine can stress out the urinary system and result in bladder control issues. Even when drinking water, it is important to not overdo it with excess fluid intake because it can exacerbate any existing bladder control issues.
Being overweight: Having a high BMI can worsen urinary incontinence.
Types Of Incontinence
There are several common patterns and types of urinary incontinence:
- Overflow incontinence: In this type of incontinence you may have frequent or constant dribbling and continuous sensation that your bladder has not emptied completely.
- Urge incontinence: This is when you suddenly have an intense urge to urinate and have an involuntary voiding of urine. This may also manifest as a frequent urge to urinate or the urge to urinate throughout the night.
- Stress incontinence: There is leak of urine when excess physical strain is applied on the bladder. This can be due to coughing, sneezing, laughing, or because of lifting something heavy.
- Mixed incontinence: This is when you experience more than a single type of incontinence. Most commonly this presents as a combination of stress incontinence and urge incontinence
- Functional incontinence: This results from either physical or mental impairment that keeps you from reaching the toilet, such as due to immobility due to arthritis.
Treatments Available
The treatments for urinary incontinence depends on the type and the impact it has on your life. Treatments may include medicines, simple exercises, or both and sometimes there may be a requirement of surgical intervention.
The approaches to treatment of urinary incontinence to improve bladder control for men would depend on both severity and underlying cause. Sometimes a combination of medications such as those to treat overactive bladder and relax the bladder muscles and medications to manage an enlarged prostate may be given at other times nerve stimulation techniques, Botox injections or surgical procedure may help alleviate incontinence issues.
In individuals who do not want to be or cannot be treated, there are many devices and products that can collect and hold urine or help manage urinary incontinence.
This includes catheters (tubes inserted into the urethra) with urine drainage bags, absorbent products such as pads and adult diapers or toilet substitutes such as portable devices, bedside commodes, bedpans and urinals can be very helpful.
For most men early intervention can either help or cure incontinence. If you have symptoms of urinary incontinence, do not suffer in silence. Please discuss it with your doctor.
