Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Prostate Disorders Urinary Incontinence:

Urinary incontinence (UI)—the involuntary leakage of urine—affects some 17 million older Americans. One recent study showed that about one third of women and one fifth of men over age 65 are affected by urinary incontince, particularly urge incontinence, also referred to as "overactive bladder". Yet sufferers often do not seek treatment, usually because they're embarrassed, or mistakenly believe that medicine has nothing to offer. In fact, effective treatments include self-care measures, medication, and sometimes surgery. Most patients report a significant improvement—sometimes even a "cure" for their urinary incontinence, defined as complete dryness.

Once assumed to be a part of aging, we now know that urinary incontinence in men can occur for many reasons, particular prostate disorders such as prostate cancer, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), and prostatitis, as well as urinary tract infections, and other health conditions such as stroke.

For women, the most common causes of urinary incontinence are urinary tract infections and vaginal infection or irritation, and constipation.

For both genders, certain medications can cause urinary incontinence. Dietary measures can help alleviate the symptoms of urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence can often last a short time with the correct treatment. It is important to discover the underlying cause of urinary incontinence to prevent long-term damage to the urinary tract.

Types of Urinary Incontinence:

There are three types of urinary incontinence: urge incontinence, overflow incontinence, and stress incontinence. Many people with poor urinary control have problems of more than one type, a condition described as mixed incontinence.

Urge incontinence, or “overactive bladder,” occurs when the need to urinate cannot be controlled and urine is lost before reaching the bathroom. Men with urge incontinence sometimes experience a small amount of leakage after urination, a phenomenon called postmicturition dribble.

Overflow incontinence describes the frequent loss of small amounts of urine because the bladder does not have enough room to contain it, perhaps owing to incomplete voiding.

Stress incontinence, the most common form, occurs when urine leaks due to increased pressure on the bladder when coughing, sneezing, lifting heavy objects, rising from a seated or recumbent position, exercising, or performing other activities that increase pressure within the pelvis. It is the most common type of bladder control problem in younger and middle-age women. In some cases it is related to childbirth. It may also begin around the time of menopause.

A change in frequency of urination, especially getting up often in the middle of the night (nocturia) is a common symptom of urinary tract issues, particularly for men with prostate issues (also commonly referred to as Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS)).

In the urinary incontinence area, we bring you the latest news on urinary incontinence and what it can potentially mean for your overall health and quality of life.

Urinary Incontinence:

More on Urinary Incontinence:

Johns Hopkins Symptoms and Remedies on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH):

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
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Visit the BPH Treatment page

Johns Hopkins Symptoms and Remedies on Prostate Cancer:

Prostate Cancer

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Prostate Glossary

All the articles in the Prostate area are derived from our monthly newsletter, Johns Hopkins Health After 50, our quarterly Johns Hopkins Prostate Bulletin, and our annual Johns Hopkins White Paper: Prostate. All of these publications are authored by the specialists at the Johns Hopkins James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute.

Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Prostate Urinary Incontinence: