15 April 2016
The Different Types Of Incontinence Explained
A common question we get asked is what are the different types of incontinence?
Therefore we have outlined below the various types to help answers some of your questions or urinary and faecal incontinence.
Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence occurs when the muscles in the bladder that control the flow of urine contract or relax involuntarily.
This results in either leaking or uncontrolled urination. The condition affects nearly 1 in 10 people over age 65. Women are twice as likely to suffer from urine leak.
Urinary incontinence can range from mild, occasional leaking to chronic uncontrolled urination.
Stress Incontinence
While there are many different types of urinary incontinence, the most common include stress incontinence and overactive bladder (also called urge incontinence).
Stress incontinence occurs when there is unexpected leakage of urine caused by pressure or sudden muscle contractions on the bladder.
This often occurs during exercise, heavy lifting, coughing, sneezing, or laughing.
Urge Incontinence
Sometimes called overactive bladder, or OAB; urge incontinence occurs when a person feels the urge to urinate but is unable to hold back the urine long enough to get to a bathroom.
Urge incontinence sometimes occurs in people who've had a stroke or have chronic diseases such as Diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or Multiple Sclerosis.
Mixed Incontinence
This refers to a common situation in which one has both stress incontinence and urge incontinence to some degree.
Overflow Incontinence
This occurs when a person is unable to empty their bladder completely and it overflows as new urine is produced.
Overflow incontinence sometimes occurs in men who have an enlarged prostate. It's also found in people with diabetes or spinal cord injuries.
Functional Incontinence
This type of incontinence has less to do with a bladder disorder and more to do with the logistics of getting to a bathroom in time.
It's usually found in elderly or disabled people who have normal or near normal bladder control but cannot get to the toilet in time because of mobility limitations or confusion.
Gross Total Incontinence
This refers to the constant leaking of urine from a bladder that simply has no functioning storage capacity.
This condition may result from an anatomical defect, a spinal cord injury, an abnormal opening in the bladder (fistula), or as an after effect of urinary tract surgery.
Reflex Incontinence
Occurs due to spinal or neurological trauma or disease where there is little or no sensation or voluntary control of the bladder.
Bowel/Faecal Incontinence
Bowel incontinence is an inability to control bowel movements, resulting in involuntary soiling. It's also sometimes known as faecal incontinence and may range from passing a small amount of stool when breaking wind to having no bowel control at all. Faecal incontinence is less common than urinary incontinence and affects men and women equally.
Double Incontinence
People who have both urine and stool incontinence have double incontinence.
Please see our website for further incontinence help and advice.
Best Wishes
Incontinence UK Team
www.incontinenceuk.co.uk
