How can you prevent and control urinary incontinence?
Written by:What is urinary incontinence?
The failure or urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine that causes a social or hygienic problem and affects their quality of life. The prevalence is 30%, and up to 50% in the elderly, with severe forms 15%. Most patients used absorbent, made fomented from the media, with high economic and environmental cost, due to the cellulose.
They're all the same? What types of urinary incontinence there?
There are different types of urinary incontinence:
1. Stress urinary incontinence: loss linked to physical exertion.2. Urge urinary incontinence: when accompanied by "urinary urgency".3. Mixed Urinary Incontinence4. Other reasons.
What are the causes of urinary incontinence?
Among the various causes related to incontinence include: increased urethral mobility, detrusor overactivity, whose function is to eliminate the urine when it contracts; problems or neurological damage, alteration of the external sphincter and pelvic floor muscles, internal sphincter failure to inappropriate relaxation or organ damage.
Which are the risk factors?
Situations that may eventually involve this type of pathology is vaginal childbirth, menopause and have undergone a hysterectomy, surgery to remove the uterus or partially full. There are other agents like having an advanced age, obesity, constipation, have disabilities, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease or intake of diuretic drugs.
How is it diagnosed?
The first step to be performed by specialist Gynaecology is to certify the loss of urine, objectify and quantify. For this it is necessary to conduct a thorough physical examination, an examination of the perianal sensitivity and analytical, radiological and urodynamic studies, in addition to the assessment of personal history and concomitant illnesses, ie that manifest at once, neurological diseases, interventions pre has affected the urinary tract, abdomen, pelvis and spine.
How is it prevented?
To prevent this you should follow a Mediterranean diet, combat overweight and obesity, reduce the consumption of beverages like coffee, soda, alcohol and citrus, avoiding spicy, increase fiber intake, reduce the consumption of diuretics and practice floor exercises pelvic,
What treatments are available?
The specialist will evaluate the personal situation of women, their circumstances at that moment and the future, the special vulnerability of women of a certain age, the impact it has on their quality of life, life expectancy and the risk of a possible surgical intervention. From that moment will determine which methods apply:
hygiene and dietary rules are the treatments for overweight, smoking or avoid caffeine withdrawal.
bladder retraining or pharmacological treatments due to urinary urgency.
pelvic floor muscle training: first step in the treatment of urinary incontinence.
Surgical treatment: the bands are suburethral surgical treatment input urinary incontinence after the failure of the perineal re-education, with 90% efficiency. To failure of the band or sub-urethral sling, other techniques, periurethral injections, minimally invasive but much less effective are valued; periurethral balloons and artificial sphincter.