Incontinence management
Key points
- Many Australians suffer from bladder or bowel control problems.
- Incontinence is a sign or a symptom of a health problem.
- There are many things that can cause urinary incontinence.
- Bowel problems have many causes and results, which can include being incontinent.
Many Australians suffer from bladder or bowel control problems. Some people suffer from both. At least one in 20 Australians regularly experiences leaking or incontinence from the bladder (urinary incontinence) or bowel (faecal incontinence).
Incontinence can affect your lifestyle
Incontinence can have a great impact on your life. It can:
- Affect how you feel about yourself.
- Affect your social life.
- Stop you from getting out and about, and doing the things you enjoy.
- Affect your health.
- Be expensive (for example, the cost of continence pads).
Incontinence affects all kinds of people
Incontinence can affect:
- People of all ages, cultures and backgrounds.
- More commonly, people in the older age groups.
- Both men and women, although it is seen more often in younger women than men.
Incontinence is a symptom of a problem
Incontinence is a sign or a symptom of a health problem. It tells you that something is not quite right.
There are different types of urinary incontinence
There are many things that can cause urinary incontinence. As a result, there are different types of incontinence that are managed or treated in different ways. These include:
- Stress incontinence leakage of small amounts of urine with exertion. Causes include childbirth, being overweight and prostate surgery.
- Urge incontinence leakage following a sudden urge to urinate. Causes include stroke, enlarged prostate gland and Parkinson's disease.
- Overflow incontinence leakage because the bladder does not empty well and overfills. Causes include multiple sclerosis and enlarged prostate gland.
- Functional incontinence leakage of urine because a person was unable to get to or use the toilet due to a physical disability, a barrier in their environment or because of an intellectual or memory problem. Causes include dementia and arthritis.
There are different bowel problems
Bowel problems have many causes and results, which can include being incontinent. Incontinence of the bowel may include:
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
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