Urinary%20incontinence%20in%20women Signs and Symptoms

• Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as complaint of involuntary urine leakage

Stress Incontinence 

• Involuntary urine leakage on effort or exertion, or when coughing or sneezing
• Occurs during increased intraabdominal pressure that overcomes sphincter mechanism in the absence of bladder contraction
• Irritative voiding symptoms and nocturia are absent
• May be caused by poor pelvic support or intrinsic sphincter deficiency
• Complicated stress UI includes a history of recurrent UTIs, previous pelvic floor repairs, or concurrent urge- or voiding dysfunction-related symptoms

Urge Incontinence 

• Involuntary urine leakage due to detrusor overactivity (DO), associated with or immediately preceded by urgency
• Patients are unable to hold back their urine when they feel the intense need to void
• May be caused by detrusor myopathy, neuropathy, bladder cancer, stones or infections

Mixed Incontinence 

• Involuntary urine leakage associated with both urgency and with exertion, effort, coughing or sneezing
• Present when the bladder outlet is weak and detrusor is overactive

Overflow Incontinence 

• Also referred to as “incomplete emptying”, which describes the dribbling or continuous leakage associated with incomplete bladder emptying
• May be caused by bladder overdistention, impaired detrusor contraction and/or bladder outlet obstruction
• Associated symptoms include weak urinary stream, intermittency, hesitancy, frequency and nocturia

Incontinence Related to Reversible Medical Conditions 

• Transient incontinence
  • Arises from an acute medical condition affecting the lower urinary tract
  • Symptoms resolve when the medical condition is addressed and treated
• Functional incontinence
  • Arises from chronic impairment of physical and/or cognitive functioning
  • Diagnosis of exclusion
  • Symptoms may resolve by improving patient’s functional status, treating comorbidities and changing medications

• Irreversible factors
  
  • Age, race, family history, childhood enuresis, multiparity, forceps delivery, hysterectomy, surgery for pelvic organ prolapse

• Reversible factors
  
  • Body mass index >30, smoking, high caffeine intake, participation in high-impact sports, diabetes, depression, central nervous system (CNS) disorders, recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI), constipation, drugs, pelvic organ prolapse, environmental barriers