2023-08-10 09:18:49
Urinary incontinence is a health problem that affects millions of people around the world, men and women. The experts of the blog “Health and prevention” address this involuntary loss of urine that can have a significant impact on the quality of life of those who suffer from it.
Often thought of as an inevitable problem associated with aging or certain medical conditions, the reality is that urinary incontinence can be treatable.
Urinary incontinence can be caused by a variety of factors, including weakening of the pelvic floor muscles, childbirth, obesity, certain medications, chronic illnesses, and hormonal changes, among others.
However, there are many treatment options and prevention strategies available that can help control or even cure urinary incontinence.
“For most people, changes in lifestyle, diet or medical treatment can improve symptoms and reduce urine leakage, sums up Dr. Luz M. Moratalla, urologist at the Hospital Quirónsalud Valencia.
Causes and symptoms
There are several types of urinary incontinence, explains the specialist, so the symptoms and causes may vary.
Los symptoms They may include urine loss when coughing, laughing, sneezing, or lifting heavy objects. Other symptoms include a sudden need to urinate and difficulty holding the urine until reaching the bathroom, increased micturition frequency, the need to get up several times during the night, the sensation of incomplete emptying of the bladder, or inadvertent leakage of urine.
Las causes, as we said, come from a variety of factors, some are common to men and women. For example, certain hygienic-dietary habits (constipation, excessive consumption of caffeine or alcohol, obesity…), aging, pelvic floor pathologies, uro-gynecological pathologies or even neurological pathologies can cause urinary incontinence.
In general, one talks about stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinenceae mixed urinary incontinence when both are combined.
Prevention and treatment
One of the main prevention and treatment strategies is strengthen the pelvic floor muscles through specific exercises, known as Kegel exercises, especially when it comes to stress incontinence.
These exercises, details Dr. Moratalla, consist of contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles on a regular basis to improve their strengthening and tone. “They are simple to perform and can be done anytime, anywhere,” she points out.
There are also devices that can help in the process of strengthening the pelvic floor muscles.
Dr. Luz M. Moratalla, urologist at the Quirónsalud Hospital in Valencia. courtesy photo
In some cases, you can use medicines to control urinary incontinence. However, these decisions should never be made without consultation with the urologist.
“Preliminary studies must be carried out to establish causes or rule out other pathologies, such as a urinalysis, an ultrasound or a urodynamic study, among others,” says the specialist at Hospital Quirónsalud Valencia.
In more severe cases of urinary incontinence, more invasive treatment options may be considered, such as surgerywhich can be recommended when other treatments have not been effective.
When it comes to urge incontinence, in addition to changes in lifestyle habits and medication, one can resort to botulinum toxin injection into the bladder.
But the important thing to note is that urinary incontinence is not a taboo subject and that seeking medical help is crucial to receiving proper treatment. Urinary incontinence is treatable and should not be an obstacle or a problem to fully enjoy life.
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