Urinary Incontinence And Aging

Causes of Urinary Incontinence in the Elderly

Urinary incontinencencontinence occurs for many reasons. Short term incontinence can be caused by urinary tract infections, vaginal infections, irritation, constipation, or even the patients medicine. If the incontinence continues, some causes include weak bladder muscles, overactive bladder muscles, blockage from an enlarged prostate, damage to nerves that control the bladder, diseases such as Multiple Schlerosis, Parkinson's or even Arthritis.

Urinary Incontinence Symptoms

Incontinence symptoms can range from very mild leaking to severe wetting. Women are more likely than men to have incontinence.

Controlling Urinary Incontinence

In many cases, urinary incontinence can be controlled or even cured by treatment. A great place to start controlling urinary incontinence is with a visit to your doctor for a physical exam.

Diagnosis of Urinary Incontinence

There are many tests to diagnose urinary incontinence problems. There are urine and blood tests, tests that measure how well you empty your bladder, and you can keep a daily diary when you urinate and when you leak urine. This pattern of leaking and urinating may help the doctor diagnose the type of urinary incontinence you have.

Different Types of Urinary Incontinence

There are several different types of urinary incontinence:

Stress incontinence is a type of urinary incontinence that occurs when the body is exerting itself, such as during exercising, lifting heavy objects, or when laughing, coughing or sneezing. Stress incontinence is the most common type of incontinence in middle aged women, often beginning during menopause.

Urge incontinence is the inability to hold the urine long enough to make it to a bathroom. Urge incontinence occurs often in people with health problems such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or Multiple Schlerosis. Urge incontinence can also be a sign of bladder cancer.

Overflow incontinence is the leakage of small amounts of urine from a full bladder. This can occur in males with an enlarged prostate preventing them from empyting their bladder. Overflow incontinence can also be caused by diabetes or spinal cord injury.

Functional incontinence is defined as a person with normal bladder control not being to be able to get to the bathroom in time because of physical disabilities such as arthritis that make moving difficult.

Urinary Incontinence Treatments

There are many ways to treat urinary incontinence. The method of treatment is different depending on the type of urinary incontinence suffered by the patient. The easiest treatments should be tried first.

Urinary Incontinence Treatments: Bladder Control Training

You can use bladder control training to regain bladder control. Bladder training can consist of pelvic muscle exercises ( Kegel Exercises ), biofeedback, timed voiding and bladder training.

Urinary Incontinence Management

Stress incontinence can be managed with a urethral plug or vaginal insert ( pessary ). Also, medicines can be prescribed to treat urinary incontinence. Implants can be injected in the the area around the implant, adding bulk and helping to control stress incontinence. Surgery can sometimes cure or help with urinary incontinence management.