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What is Incontinence? Physiology, Types of Incontinence, Issues

What is Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is the unintentional passing of urine. It is a very common problem and is thought to affect more than 50 million people in the developed world.

Physiology

The bladder receives urine from the kidneys through tubes called ureters. Urine is stored in the bladder, which is supported in the pelvis by pelvic floor muscles. Some of this muscle wraps around the urethra, the tube that runs from the bladder to outside the body, to help keep it closed until you need to pass urine. Once the bladder is full, a signal is sent to the brain that you need to pass urine. When you are ready, the brain tells the pelvic floor muscles to relax and open the urethra. The muscles around the bladder contract and push the urine out.

A problem in any part of this process can result in urinary incontinence.

Types of urinary incontinence

Professional advice should be sought if you have any concerns with regards to this condition. There are several types of urinary incontinence, but the most common are:

• Stress incontinence, when the pelvic floor muscles are too weak to prevent urination, causing urine to leak when your bladder is under pressure, for example when you cough or laugh

• Urge incontinence, when urine leaks at the same time or just after you feel an intense urge to pass urine

These two types of urinary incontinence are thought to be responsible for over 9 out of 10 cases. It is also possible to have a mixture of both stress and urge urinary incontinence.

Figures from a study that included the UK found that 13% of women had some degree of urinary incontinence. In general, urinary incontinence affects twice as many women as men and becomes more common with increasing age.

Urinary incontinence can be a difficult and distressing problem. A lot of