What is Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence - that is, loss of bladder control - is the inability to hold urine continuously or at regular intervals. The severity of urinary incontinence ranges from occasional leaks of urine when you cough or sneeze, to a sudden and strong urge to urinate that leaves you unable to make it to the toilet, to almost complete incontinence. It can be objectively graded as mild, moderate and severe urinary incontinence according to the pad test.
Although it occurs more frequently in humans, urinary incontinence is not an inevitable consequence of aging, the same can occur in young people. Women have more urinary incontinence problems than men (Women: 6-40%, Men: 17-40%).
Urinary Incontinence Types
1-Stress incontinence: Stress urinary incontinence; It refers to urinary incontinence that occurs due to stress and exertion such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising or lifting something heavy. During these strains, the pressure inside the bladder increases, the muscles and mechanisms that enable urine retention cannot resist this pressure, and urinary incontinence occurs.
2- Urge type urinary incontinence: Urge urinary incontinence is a sudden-urgent need to urinate, combined with the inability to reach the toilet or delay urination, and urine leaks in the meantime. Urine leakage can range from one drop to the entire urine. The need to urinate at night is evident. This type of urinary incontinence can range from simple problems such as infection; It may be caused by more serious conditions such as neurological disorders or diabetes.
3- Overflow incontinence: It refers to continuous leakage of urine from a bladder that does not empty completely, drop by drop, after reaching its capacity. .
4- Functional incontinence: Due to a physical or mental disorder, there are situations that prevent you from going to the toilet on time. It is a type of urinary incontinence that occurs due to physical or mental limitations such as joint diseases, paralysis, nervous system diseases that prevent the person from reaching the bathroom on time. For example, in case of severe arthritis, the size of your pants There are functional problems such as not being able to open the buttons fast enough.
5-Mixed type of urinary incontinence: If more than one type of urinary incontinence occurs together, mixed or mixed type of urinary incontinence. The term is used. Typically a condition in which both urgency and stress urinary incontinence occur together; It may be an example of a mixed type of urinary incontinence.
6. Persistent urinary incontinence: It is a condition of constant urinary incontinence caused by an abnormal opening (fistula) formed between the urinary tract and the vagina. This fistula may also occur between the urinary tract and the rectum.
7. Transient urinary incontinence: Urinary tract infection refers to occasional urinary incontinence due to a temporary condition such as the use of certain medications.
When to See a Doctor and How to Prepare?
Most patients feel uncomfortable and embarrassed about reporting urinary incontinence. They remain untreated because of what they feel, and they try to prevent and treat self-incontinence by making simple lifestyle and diet changes. If urinary incontinence occurs frequently or is at a level that affects the quality of daily life, it is important to see a doctor and get medical help without hesitation.
It is important to seek medical help in case of Urinary Incontinence. Because:
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It may cause your social life and interactions to be restricted
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It negatively affects your quality of life
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Accidents may occur while reaching the toilet, especially in elderly patients, there is a risk of falling
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There are underlying conditions that may be the cause of urinary incontinence. It may be a symptom of a much more serious underlying problem.
When you go to the doctor, the questions you should ask about urinary incontinence should be:
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What could be the cause of urinary incontinence?
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There is a permanent treatment for this problem. Is there any?
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Which tests should be done?
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What are the treatment options, which one do you recommend and how will it benefit me?
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What will be the result if I receive treatment or not, what may happen in months and years?
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Can drug treatment prevent my urinary incontinence?
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What are the side effects of drug treatment?
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Do I need surgery and is it absolutely necessary?
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What surgery options are there?
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When can I benefit from the treatment?
What are the Causes and Risk Factors of Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence can be caused by daily habits, underlying medical conditions, or physical problems. Accordingly, we can divide urinary incontinence into two groups: temporary and permanent urinary incontinence.
1- Temporary urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence due to some drinks, foods and medications is temporary, It can disappear when the medicine, food or medicines that cause it are changed:
Foods, drinks and medicines that cause temporary urinary incontinence are:
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Alcohol
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Caffeine
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Sodas and minerals juice
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Artificial sweeteners
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Chocolate
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Chile pepper
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Foods with high spice, sugar or acid content, especially citrus fruits
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Heart and blood pressure medications, tranquilizers and muscle relaxants
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Intake of high doses of vitamin C
Urinary tract infection: Infections can irritate the bladder, causing a strong urge to urinate and sometimes urinary incontinence.
Constipation: The rectum is adjacent to the bladder and is immediately They share almost the same nerves. Hard-solid stool in the rectum can cause these nerves to become overactive and increase urinary frequency, causing temporary urinary incontinence.
2- Persistent and Persistent Urinary Container urinary incontinence
The causes of persistent and persistent urinary incontinence due to permanent conditions caused by underlying physical problems or changes may be:
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Pregnancy: Hormonal changes and the increasing weight of the baby (fetus) can lead to stress urinary incontinence.
Birth: Vaginal birth can weaken the muscles required for bladder control and damage the bladder nerves and supporting tissues, causing the pelvic floor to sag (prolapse). With prolapse, the bladder, uterus, rectum, or small intestine may be pushed lower than its normal position and protrude into the vagina. This may cause urinary incontinence.
Aging: Aging of the bladder muscle can reduce the urine storage capacity of the bladder. Additionally, as we get older, involuntary bladder contractions become more frequent and can cause urge incontinence.
Menopause: After menopause, women experience problems with the lining of the bladder and urethra. They produce less of the female hormone-estrogen, which helps keep the lining healthy. Partial loss and drying of these tissues due to hormone withdrawal may trigger and aggravate urinary incontinence.
Prostate enlargement: Especially in older men, urinary incontinence is usually good. It occurs as benign prostatic enlargement.
Prostate cancer: While stress or urge urinary incontinence may occur in men associated with untreated prostate cancer, it is more common. Urinary incontinence is seen as the main complication due to surgery, focal treatment, radiotherapy and medical treatments for prostate cancer.
Urinary tract obstruction and stenosis: A tumor anywhere in the urinary tract or conditions that prevent normal urine flow, such as stenosis, can lead to overflow urinary incontinence. Again, urinary tract stones - hard, stone-like masses that form in the bladder - can sometimes cause urine leakage and urinary incontinence.
Neur. biological disorders: Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, stroke, brain tumor, or spinal cord injury can block nerve signals involved in bladder control, causing urinary incontinence.
What are the Risk Factors of Urinary Incontinence?
Factors that increase the risk of urinary incontinence are:
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Gender: Women are more likely to have stress urinary incontinence. Pregnancy, birth, menopause and normal female anatomy are held responsible for this difference. However, men with prostate problems are at risk of urge and overflow incontinence.
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Age: Aging of the bladder muscle can reduce the urine storage capacity of the bladder. . Additionally, as we get older, involuntary bladder contractions become more frequent and can cause urge incontinence.
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Overweight-obesity: Extra weight puts pressure on the bladder and its surrounding area. It increases the pressure on the muscles and weakens the resistance, which can ultimately cause urine to leak and leak when coughing or sneezing.
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Smoking: Tobacco use has been shown to increase the risk of urinary incontinence. .
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Family history: If a close family member has urinary incontinence, especially urge incontinence, the risk of developing this condition is higher than other people. is high.
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Some diseases: In chronic diseases such as neurological diseases and diabetes, the risk of urinary incontinence is higher.
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Prostate Surgeries: Prostate and pelvic surgeries are considered risk factors for urinary incontinence.
Side Effects-Complications of Urinary Incontinence
In case of chronic urinary incontinence, the following side effects are expected:
