What is incontinence?

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ericjones
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by ericjones on Mon Apr 20, 2015 11:23 am

What is incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the unintentional flow of urine that can happen anytime and anywhere. The problem is not a disease but is one of the symptoms of urinary tract infections. Men can experience bladder problems commonly as with the growing age or sometimes due to underlying medical conditions or surgery. Compared to women, men are more likely to suffer from this problem due to the prostates that get enlarged with age and tend to block the flow of urine from the bladder. There are different types of male incontinence. They are:

1) Urge Incontinence- With this condition, there is a frequent and very urgent need to go urinate. Urge incontinence is caused by a problem with the detrusor muscles in the bladder walls. Often the detrusor walls contract, which in turn creates a need to go toilet. This indicates an overactive bladder problem. The reasons for detrusor muscle contraction include:

Consuming too much alcohol
Constipation
Conditions that affect the lower urinary tract, for example, UTIs or tumor in the bladder
Medications

2) Overflow Incontinence- In overflow incontinence, there is a blockage or obstruction of the bladder. Due to the problem of bladder, it fills up quickly, but one has to face problems while emptying it. The bladder problem occurs due to:

Enlarged prostate gland
Bladder stones
Constipation

3) Total Incontinence- This problem occurs when the bladder is unable to store any urine at all, which results in passing large amounts of urine or passing urine with some leaking. The causes of total incontinence are:

Bladder problem since birth
Any injury to the spinal cord that can cause a problem in the nerve signals between the bladder and the brain

4) Stress Incontinence- Stress Incontinence in men occurs when urine leaks from the bladder during any physical activity or any exertion such as coughing, laughing or lifting something heavy.