Two Basic Types of Adult Incontinence
Filed Under (About Incontinence) by admin on 11-11-2009
Two Basic Types of Adult Incontinence
A lot of people suffer from a weak bladder and bowel incontinence; both men and women alike. Although this condition is very much curable nowadays, most sufferers are still embarrassed to discuss the problem with their physician. In fact, there are a lot who never spill out their condition even to their families until such time that the problem is already getting obvious. The thought of having this condition is already very embarrassing, let alone being discussed with someone who is knowledgeable enough about adult incontinence. Incontinence among adults is the condition of which a person does not have the ability to control bladder activities and bowel movements. There are two types of incontinence: the urinary and fecal incontinence.
Urinary incontinence is more prevalent as compared to the fecal incontinence. It is the condition of losing control over the bladder. It can happen to anyone at any age, at any time and affects both men and women. It is more common among people aged 50 and above. Some symptoms manifested by urinary incontinence includes having urine leaks, and excessing wetting. These symptoms are due to having an overactive bladder and a weak bladder muscles. It could also be due to blockage caused by enlarged prostate, multiple sclerosis, damaged nerves in the urinary system and other medical conditions. Urinary incontinence is subdivided into four subtypes: the stress incontinence, overflow incontinence, urge incontinence and functional incontinence. Urinary incontinence happen when the muscles in the bladder are too weak to keep up with the overactive bladder activity. If the muscles can no longer keep the bladder closed, patients may accidentally have urine leakage when they laugh, sneeze, cough or lift a heavy object. Most often, patients experiences a strong urge to use the bathroom, yet have a very little amount of urine. This is because of the overactive bladder. There are different treatments available for every type. Most of the options include bladder training, kegels exercise, certain medications and surgery in serious cases.
Fecal incontinence is a rare type of incontinence. It is a medical condition that is characterized by inability to control bowel movements and leaking. There are about 6 million Americans who suffer this condition. Just like urinary incontinence, people of any age can be affected by fecal or bowel incontinence, but it is more common among adults. It can be caused by several medical problems. Mostly it is due to a weak or damaged anal sphincter muscle and nerves. It can also be due to an absent storage capacity within the rectum, pelvic floor dysfunction and even diarrhea. People who suffer fecal incontinence experience a strong urge to defecate. This condition is very rare, yet it is much more serious that urinary incontinence. Thus, if you are suffering from bowel incontinence, immediately seek help from your primary doctor for treatment. There are a lot of treatments available for fecal incontinence. Among these are change in diet, medications and drugs, and bowel training. In some cases, you may undergo surgery to treat the problem especially if the condition is no longer curable by simple medications.
