Sneezing, coughing, laughing out loud… urine uncontrollably leaks out, and this embarrassing “accident” is known as urinary incontinence. It not only brings numerous inconveniences to daily life but can also lead to issues such as skin rashes in the genital area, infections, ulcers, urinary tract infections, and in severe cases, even affect kidney function.
Classification identification is key.
1. Urgency urinary incontinence
Characterized by a strong urge to urinate and frequent urination. When there is a strong urge, it is impossible to hold it back, and urine uncontrollably flows out. Common causes include aging of the detrusor muscle, cardiovascular diseases, early diabetes, acute cystitis, interstitial cystitis, and others.
2. Stress urinary incontinence
Uncontrolled leakage of urine occurs when abdominal pressure increases, such as during sneezing, coughing, or exercise. It is commonly seen in women after childbirth, or may arise from defects in the urethra. Additionally, this can occur in men after surgery to remove an enlarged prostate.
3. Overflow urinary incontinence
Commonly seen in men, it is due to conditions causing lower urinary tract obstruction, such as prostate enlargement or urethral stricture, as well as bladder contraction weakness, leading to chronic urinary retention. When the bladder is extremely full, the pressure inside the bladder exceeds the closing capacity of the external urethral sphincter, resulting in urine leakage.
4. Mixed urinary incontinence
This is most commonly a combination of stress urinary incontinence and urgency urinary incontinence, where one type of symptom may be more prominent, and the symptoms of the two types can influence each other.
Urinary incontinence should not be ignored.
Urology experts say prevention and treatment
As age increases, pelvic floor muscle function may decline, and urinary incontinence symptoms may become more severe, even accompanied by varying degrees of pelvic organ prolapse and other pelvic floor dysfunctions.
Director Liu introduced that the prevention and treatment methods vary based on the degree and type of urinary incontinence. For urgency urinary incontinence, medication treatment is the first choice, while other methods include transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation, sacral nerve stimulation, and more. Taking stress urinary incontinence, which has the highest incidence, as an example:
For mild to moderate patients, conservative treatment options can be chosen, including weight loss, avoiding smoking and alcohol, maintaining regular routines, reducing the intake of caffeinated beverages, actively treating chronic diseases, and avoiding heavy physical labor that may increase abdominal pressure. By recording daily fluid intake and urination, consciously extending intervals between urinations can train bladder muscle contraction functions. Pelvic floor muscle training, or Kegel exercises, involves consciously practicing active contraction and relaxation of pelvic floor muscles to gradually increase the strength and control of the pelvic floor muscle group. Under doctor’s guidance, medication can be used to increase urethral closure pressure and improve urinary closure function.
For moderate to severe patients or those for whom conservative treatments are ineffective, surgical treatment may be considered to repair bladder and urethral issues to improve urine control.
Finally, Director Liu reminds everyone that urinary incontinence is not an inevitable result of aging, but rather a treatable condition. When symptoms of urinary incontinence occur, it is important to seek medical attention promptly, so that through detailed inquiries and examinations by a doctor, the specific cause can be clarified and professional treatment measures can be formulated accordingly.
