Urinary Incontinence Overview

Urinary incontinence is, in essence, the involuntary leakage of urine. This means, consequently, that urine leaks out of the bladder without being able to control it.

Furthermore, urinary incontinence is a common problem that affects many people. Moreover, urinary incontinence is more common among women than men. In fact, people think that many women ages 30-60 experience it, compared to just 1.5-5 percent of men.

What is Urinary Incontinence?

What is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is essentially a person being unable to prevent urine from leaking out.
It can be due to various stress factors, such as sneezing, laughing, and coughing. Additionally, it can happen during and after pregnancy. Furthermore, it is more common with conditions such as obesity.
Notably, the chances of it happening increase with age. Nevertheless, bladder control and pelvic floor, or Kegel, exercises can help prevent or reduce it.

Symptoms

The main symptom is, quite simply, the unintentional release or leakage of urine. When and how this occurs, however, will depend on the type of urinary incontinence.

Stress Incontinence

This is, by far, the most common kind of urinary incontinence, especially among women who have given birth or gone through the menopause.

In this case, “stress” refers to physical pressure rather than mental stress.

When the bladder and muscles in urinary control are under sudden extra pressure, the person may urinate involuntarily.

The following actions may trigger stress incontinence:

  • First, coughing, sneezing, or laughing
  • Second, heavy lifting
  • Finally, exercise

Urge Incontinence

The following causes of urge incontinence include:

Overflow Incontinence

This happens when there is an obstruction or blockage to the bladder. Specifically, the following may cause an obstruction:

For instance, an enlarged prostate gland. Moreover, a tumor pressing against the bladder can contribute to this issue. Furthermore, constipation may also play a role. Lastly, kidney stones can lead to obstruction.

This happens when there is an obstruction or blockage to the bladder. Specifically, the following may cause an obstruction:

  • For instance, an enlarged prostate gland
  • Moreover, a tumor pressing against the bladder can contribute to this issue.
  • Furthermore, constipation may also play a role
  • Lastly, kidney stones can lead to obstruction

Total Incontinence

This can result from:

  • To begin with, an anatomical defect present from birth
  • In addition, a spinal cord injury that impairs the nerve signals between the brain and the bladder can slo be a contributing factor
  • Furthermore, a fistula, which occurs when a tube or channel develops between the bladder and a nearby area, usually the vagina, may lead to total incontinence.

Finally, Other causes:

Specifically, alcohol consumption. Additionally, some medications, especially certain diuretics, antihypertensive drugs, sleeping tablets, sedatives, and muscle relaxants, can contribute to this condition. Lastly, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are also notable causes.

These include:

  • Specifically, alcohol consumption
  • Additionally, some medications, especially some diuretics, antihypertensive drugs, sleeping tablets, sedatives, and muscle relaxants, can contribute to this condition.
  • Lastly, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are also notable causes

Risk Factors

The following are risk factors linking to urinary incontinence:

  • Firstly, obesity: This puts extra pressure on the bladder and surrounding muscles. **Consequently,** it weakens the muscles, making leakage more likely when the person sneezes or coughs.
  • Additionally, smoking: This can lead to a chronic cough, which may result in episodes of incontinence.
  • Moreover, gender: Women have a higher chance of experiencing stress incontinence than men, especially if they have had children.
  • Furthermore, old age: The muscles in the bladder and urethra weaken with age.
  • In addition, some diseases and conditions: Diabetes, kidney disease, spinal cord injury, and neurologic diseases, for example, a stroke, increase the risk.

Lastly, prostate disease: Incontinence may present after prostate surgery or radiation therapy.

Diagnosis

Ways to diagnose urinary incontinence include the following:

  • Firstly, a bladder diary: The person records how much they drink, when they urinate, how much urine they produce, and the number of incontinence episodes.
  • Secondly, a physical exam: The doctor may examine the vagina and check the strength of the pelvic floor muscles. Moreover, they may examine the rectum of a male patient to determine whether the prostate gland is enlarged.
  • Additionally, urinalysis: Tests are carried out for signs of infection and abnormalities.
  • Furthermore, a blood test: This can assess kidney function.
  • Next, postvoid residual (PVR) measurement: This assesses how much urine is left in the bladder after urinating.
  • In addition, a pelvic ultrasound: Provides an image and may help detect any abnormalities.
  • Then, a stress test: The patient will be asked to apply sudden pressure while the doctor watches for urine loss.
  • Lastly, urodynamic testing: This determines various factors, such as measuring the tone and contractions of the bladder muscle as it is filling and whether there are abnormal contractions, reduced bladder capacity, weak or hypotonic bladder, sphincter contractions, and pressure at various levels of filling.
  • Next, Cystoscopy: A cytoscopy is when a thin tube with a lens at the end is inserted into the urethra. The doctor can view any abnormalities in the urinary tract.
  • Finally, a cystogram: An X-ray procedure provides an image of the bladder.

Treatment

Treatment will depend on several factors; for instance, the type of incontinence, the patient’s age, general health, and mental state.

Stress Incontinence

Firstly, pelvic floor exercises, also known as Kegel exercises, help strengthen the urinary sphincter and pelvic floor muscles, which, in turn, help control urination.

Bladder Training

  • In addition, delaying the event is crucial: the aim is to control the urge. Specifically, the patient learns how to delay urination whenever there is an urge to do so.
  •  Furthermore, double voiding involves urinating, then waiting for a couple of minutes, followed by urinating again.
  • Additionally, a toilet timetable can be effective, as the person schedules bathroom visits during the day, such as every two hours.

Consequently, bladder training helps the patient gradually regain control over their bladder.

Medications for urinary incontinence

Moreover, if medications are used, this is usually in combination with other techniques or exercises.
The following medications are prescribed to treat urinary incontinence:

  • For example, beta-3 agonists, such as Myrbetriq, may calm overactive bladders and help patients with urge incontinence.
  • Similarly, topical estrogen may reinforce tissue in the urethra and vaginal areas and lessen some of the symptoms.
  • Finally, imipramine (Tofranil) is a tricyclic antidepressant.

Medical Devices

The following medical devices are designed for females.

  • First, urethral inserts: A woman inserts the device before activity and takes it out when urinating.
  • Additionally, a pessary: A pessary is a rigid ring inserted into the vagina and worn all day. It helps hold the bladder up and prevent leakage.
  • Furthermore, radiofrequency therapy: Tissue in the lower urinary tract is heated. It is usually firmer when it heals, often resulting in better urinary control.
  • Moreover, Botox (botulinum toxin type A): Botox is injected into the bladder muscle, which can help those with an overactive bladder.
  • In addition, bulking agents: Injected into tissue around the urethra, these help keep the urethra closed.
  • Next, a sacral nerve stimulator: This is implanted under the skin of the buttock. A wire connects it to a nerve that runs from the spinal cord to the bladder. The wire emits an electrical pulse that stimulates the nerve, helping bladder control.

Surgery

Finally, surgery is an option if other therapies do not work. *Consequently*, women who plan to have children should discuss surgical options with a doctor before making the decision.

  • Specifically, sling procedures: A mesh is inserted under the neck of the bladder to help support the urethra and stop urine from leaking out.
  • Moreover, colposuspension: Lifting the bladder neck can help relieve stress incontinence.
  • Finally, artificial sphincter: An artificial sphincter, or valve, may be inserted to control urine flow from the bladder into the urethra.

Other Treatment Options

  • Urinary catheter: A urinary catheter is a tube from the bladder, through the urethra, out of the body into a bag that collects urine.
  • Absorbent pads: A wide range of absorbent pads are available at pharmacies, supermarkets, and online.

Biospecimens

biospecimen

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Moreover, human biospecimens are available including human tumor tissues, serum, plasma and PBMC Samples from most other therapeutic areas.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and likewise normal healthy donors for controls. Additionally, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past history. And current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human bio-fluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

  • Firstly, peripheral whole-blood
  • Secondly, amniotic fluid
  • Thirdly, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL)
  • Next, sputum
  • Also, pleural effusion
  • Moreover, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
  • Likewise, serum (sera)
  • In addition, plasma
  • Moreover, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)
  • Furthermore, saliva
  • Next, buffy coat
  • Accordingly, urine
  • For example, stool samples
  • Also, aqueous humor
  • And, vitreous humor
  • Lastly, kidney stones(renal calculi)
  • Finally, other bodily fluids from most diseases including cancer.

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols. you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us in multiple format and sets.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.

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