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.
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.
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.
The process of urination involves two phases:
The filling and storage phase
The emptying phase
Normally, during the filling and storage phase, the bladder begins to fill with urine from the kidneys.
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: Melanie N. Smith, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/15/2006
Urge incontinence (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Urge incontinence involves a strong, sudden need to urinate, followed by a bladder contraction, which results in leakage. Reviewer: Neil D. Sherman, MD, Urologist, Essex County, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Date: 06/13/2006
Bowel incontinence (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Bowel incontinence is the loss of bowel control, resulting in involuntary passage of stool. This can range from an occasional leakage of stool with the passage of gas, to a complete loss of control of bowel movements. Urinary incontinence, a separate topic, is the inability to control the passage of urine. Reviewer: Jenifer K. Lehrer, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Frankford-Torresdale Hospital, Jefferson Health System, Philadelphia, PA.Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 11/18/2006
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: Neil D. Sherman, MD, Urologist, Essex County, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Date: 06/13/2006
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