Mixed types
of urinary incontinence in the elderly

Caused by the most divers underlying diseases, urinary incontinence can occur at any age. Nevertheless it is primarily a disease of the aged. Whilst only 1% of female and male adolescents are affected of urinary incontinence, already 5% of all adult females suffer from this symptom. Conversely, adult men between the age of 20 and 50 years are rarely affected. In the age group older than 60 years, approximately 15% of women and 8% of men have an incontinence problem, and finally, of the age group older than 80 years, around 30% of all men and women are incontinent.

It is often thought that urinary incontinence in the elderly can no longer be influenced. Yet the actual causes are basically the same as those younger people, even though certain circumstances, typical of old age, may make diagnosis and therapy more difficult.

A decisive factor of the occurrence of incontinence in the elderly is their polypathia, that means, the fact that you have to take into account that often several diseases occur all together. This means that urinary incontinence rarely has only one cause. In most cases, it results from a combination of age-related functional disturbances, for example, decreasing mobility, mental and physical decline combined with often occurred underlying diseases in old age such as diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, dementia, locomotor system diseases etc. In addition, the effects of many medications, normally taken for polypathia, can intensify or even cause incontinence.

But also the emotional state can play an important role in urinary incontinence in old age. Loneliness, loss of one's partner and life crises can lead to incontinence or can intensify existing, slighter incontinence symptoms.