8 causes of urinary incontinence that you should know

Is your urine leakage problem embarrassing you? Find out what could be causing it

Discussing loss of bladder control and involuntary urine leakage problems can be embarrassing, but it's a medical condition that shouldn't be ignored. Incontinence mainly occurs when the pressure due to a completely filled bladder exceeds a certain threshold. Here are some factors that can increase this pressure and cause incontinence.

Over-active bladder: The coordinated contraction and relaxation of bladder muscles plays an important role in making urine expulsion a voluntary event for us. However, certain neurological or non-neurological conditions can lead to uncontrolled contraction of the bladder muscles, making the bladder over-active.

Blockage in the urinary system: Sometimes, the bladder outlet may get obstructed, increasing the pressure due to contained urine. This obstruction may occur due to various conditions like urinary tract infections, leading to swelling or inflammation of the urinary system.

Mental health problems: For those suffering from dementia and other problems related to mental health, it may be difficult to sense the urge to urinate and even to respond to it at the right time. This can involuntarily cause urine leakage or incontinence.

Poor muscle control: The urethra has sphincter muscles that control the flow of urine from the bladder. But, incompetence of these sphincter muscles can at times lead to incontinence due to increased pressure on the bladder. In clinical terms, this incompetence is called stress incontinence, which is more common in women after child birth.

Medications: Certain medications including diuretics, antidepressants, medicines for cold and cough and even antihistamines for allergies can increase your chances of experiencing incontinence.

Prostate problems: Although incontinence is more common in women, men too can suffer from the condition. In men, infection or inflammation of the prostate gland is a common reason for poor bladder control and incontinence.

Excess urine production: In conditions like hyperglycemia or diabetes, the frequency of urination increases due to increased filtration rate of the kidneys, which results in the excessive production of urine. This causes over-distension of the bladder often leading to overflow or urine leakage.

Temporary causes: Incontinence can be a secondary outcome of an underlying problem. This kind of incontinence is temporary and resolves once the underlying problem is treated. Some common temporary causes of incontinence include stool impaction, infections and urethritis or inflammation of the urethra.

Image source: Getty images

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References:

• A.D.A.M. medical encyclopedia [Internet] Urinary incontinence. Washington: A.D.A.M. Inc.; Sept 19, 2011. [cited 2014 Aug 13]. c1997-2014.

• Urinary Incontinence edited by S.S. Vasan