Urinary incontinence: Description and solutions

Incontinence can be defined as the inability to control one’s urge to urinate. Even today, this condition remains taboo. In fact, people rarely tell anyone – even their doctors – that they suffer from it. Yet there are many solutions to this problem!

Types of incontinence

Stress incontinence

Leakage of small amounts of urine, which results from physical strain, such as coughing, laughing, sneezing or lifting heavy objects.

Urge continence or urgency

It occurs with people who have an overactive bladder and therefore have difficulty holding in a strong urge to urinate.

Overflow incontinence

This type is more likely to affect men with an enlarged prostate, because the prostate puts pressure on the urethra. Passing urine then becomes difficult: the bladder swells and expands until it “overflows,” and urine is lost accidentally.

Transient incontinence

This type of incontinence is caused by factors that can be modified, including certain medications or a urinary tract infection.

Incontinence in children

Also called enuresis, it occurs in children at night or during naptime.

Causes

Contrary to popular belief, incontinence does not only affect the elderly. What is true, however, is that women are more likely to have this problem than men, mainly as a result of pregnancy, giving birth and menopause.

Many factors can trigger or aggravate incontinence.

• Physical: Prolapse of the bladder, diabetes, chronic constipation, urinary tract infections, excess weight, diseases of the prostate, weakened bladder muscles.
• Mental: Loss of faculties due to a disease (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke).
• Food and medication: Foods that irritate the bladder (chocolate, citrus fruit, coffee, etc.), significant intake of alcohol, certain types of medications.

Yes, certain medications can cause or aggravate incontinence. Talk to your pharmacist!

Complications

Some types of incontinence can lead to complications, such as:

• Recurrent urinary tract infections
• Skin disorders
• Irritation and rashes
• Increased risk of falls, especially among older adults, since the fear of urinating often causes to rush to the bathroom

Since incontinence is a rather embarrassing problem, its consequences are more than just physical. In fact, people suffering from incontinence are often very self-conscious about their condition. Some isolate themselves and even end up suffering from depression.

Yet incontinence should not be an obstacle to a rich and active social, professional and personal life. Talk to a health professional!

Treatment

Here are a few tips on preventing or reducing incontinence:

• Drink sufficiently, but reduce your fluid intake before bedtime or an outing
• Reduce your intake of certain beverages (alcohol and coffee) and foods that irritate the bladder (citrus fruit, chocolate and artificial sweeteners)
• Maintain or reach a healthy weight
• Avoid chronic coughing by quitting smoking
• Avoid constipation
• Prevent and treat prostate problems and urinary tract infections.

If you suffer from incontinence, the treatments recommended to you will depend n the nature of your problem. 

• Kegel exercises: These exercises strengthen the pelvic muscles and are useful in cases of stress incontinence.
• Bladder retraining: This treatment option is useful for people suffering from urge incontinence. It involves devising a schedule for urination, so that they can learn to control their urge to urinate for increasingly longer periods of time and avoid accidental loss.
• Surgery: It may be considered for more serious cases of incontinence.
• Medication: It is often used for people with overactive bladders and urge incontinence.

You should also know that incontinence can be successfully treated in most cases.

Pharmacy services

Do you have any questions about incontinence and how to treat it? Talk to your pharmacist. He’s there to help!

Related articles

• Enuresis : Commonly known as “bedwetting” 
• Constipation : A question of regularity