Incontinence Health Channel

	Feature Article Illustrations for this article Click on an image below to enlarge Female urinary tract Male urinary tract Urinary incontinence Definition Incontinence is the inability to control the passage of urine. This can range from an occasional leakage of urine, to a complete inability to hold any urine. The three main types of urinary incontinence are: Stress incontinence -- occurs during certain activities like coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise. Urge incontinence -- involves a strong, sudden need to urinate followed by instant bladder contraction and involuntary loss of urine. You don't have enough time between when you recognize the need to urinate and when you actually do urinate. Mixed incontinence -- contains components of both stress and urge incontinence. Bowel incontinence, a separate topic, is the inability to control the passage of stool. Alternative Names Loss of bladder control; Uncontrollable urination; Urination - uncontrollable; Incontinence - urinary Considerations Incontinence is most common among the elderly. Women are more likely than men to have urinary incontinence. Infants and children are not considered incontinent, but merely untrained, up to the time of toilet training. Occasional accidents are not unusual in children up to age 6 years. Young (and sometimes teenage) girls may have slight leakage of urine when laughing. Nighttime urination in children is normal until the age of 5 or 6. NORMAL URINATION The ability to hold urine is dependent on having normal anatomy and a normally functioning urinary tract and nervous system. You must also possess the physical and psychological ability to recognize and appropriately respond to the urge to urinate. Continue reading this article

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Stress incontinence (5 Images) (Doctor-Reviewed information)
Stress incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine that occurs during physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise. Reviewer: Peter Chen, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynceology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed byDavid Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 04/24/2008
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Urge incontinence (2 Images) (Doctor-Reviewed information)
Urge incontinence involves a strong, sudden need to urinate. Then the bladder contracts, leading to urine leakage. Reviewer: Scott M. Gilbert, MD, Department of Urology, Columbia-Presbytarian Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 05/22/2008
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Bowel incontinence (2 Images) (Doctor-Reviewed information)
Bowel incontinence is the loss of bowel control, leading to an involuntary passage of stool. This can range from occasionally leaking a small amount of stool and passing gas, to completely losing control of bowel movements. Urinary incontinence, a separate topic, is the inability to control the passage of urine. Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 11/02/2008
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Urination - excessive volume (2 Images) (Doctor-Reviewed information)
Excessive volume of urination means that you release abnormally large amounts of urine each day. The medical term for this condition is polyuria. Reviewer: Marc A. Greenstein, D.O., F.A.C.O.S. Urologist, Somerset Medical Center in Somerville, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 01/24/2008
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