Types of
urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence is subdivided into various types according to the precipitating factors, and this is crucially important to the treatment. The main forms are:

• Stress incontinence, caused by a weakness in the sphincter system
• Urge incontinence in the presence of bladder (detrusor muscle) instability or caused by a variety of bladder diseases
• Overflow incontinence, mostly caused by obstruction in the urethra
• Reflex incontinence, caused by brain dysfunctions or spinal cord diseases

Stress or urge incontinence is, at about 80%, the most commonly encountered type, with mixed types not being uncommon - particularly with increasing age.

The loss of the ability to control defecation is termed
fecal incontinence. This often goes hand in hand with urinary incontinence - once again, particularly with advanced age.