Urinary incontinence: why it occurs and how to treat it

Incontinence is a more common problem than you think. Let's find out what it depends on and what are the possible treatments.

Suffering from urinary incontinence is much more common than you imagine. Suffice it to say that at least 4 million people suffer from it in Italy alone.
This pathology, often underestimated, brings various annoyances to which psychological ones are added. In fact, those who suffer from it suddenly find themselves forced to change their lifestyle due to the continuous losses. Let's find out, therefore, everything that is important to know about this pathology and what are the treatments to improve the quality of life.

What is urinary incontinence

Let's start by saying that the term urinary incontinence is used to indicate the partial or total inability to control the urethral and bladder sphincters.
It is a problem which, unlike common opinion, is not linked only to aging and does not exclusively concern women . In fact, even men, albeit for different reasons, can present this disorder.

Urinary incontinence can be light and, therefore, with small losses that occur occasionally and following efforts such as those caused by a sneeze or more serious and with copious and frequent losses. In the second case, those who suffer from it are forced to use absorbent pads to contain the losses which become too much to be controlled or managed in any other way.

What are the causes of incontinence

As with any disease, urinary incontinence also has causes that can be different.
Among these we mention the most common, which are:

– Hormonal problems
– Metabolic diseases
– Bladder inflammation
– Trauma from surgery
– Cystitis
– Prostate pathologies
– Spinal cord injuries
– Contracture of the pelvic floor
– Alzheimer's disease
– Parkinson's disease

As always, therefore, in the event of problems related to incontinence , the first thing to do is to consult a doctor in order to understand the exact cause and find, if possible, a cure or a way to learn to live with the problem.

How to fix urinary incontinence

As already mentioned, suffering from urinary incontinence inevitably leads to a change of habits . In fact, going out can become problematic unless you organize yourself well by implementing routines that are able to better manage the situation.

Among the most common remedies to buffer the problem is the one related to the use of sanitary pads. These, however, can irritate the party in the long run. In cases of severe or copious incontinence it is therefore advisable to consult a doctor to find alternative solutions. Among the many there is, for example, the rehabilitation of the pelvic floor which in many cases leads to a clear improvement.

This can be done both with manipulations (carried out by an expert) and through electrostimulation. Generally with a few sessions you begin to notice the first results.
Then there are the so-called fillers which are instillations of collagen and which generally last only two years.

In more serious cases, however, surgery can be useful, which today has fast recovery times while guaranteeing good results. Obviously, surgery is always to be understood as a last option and only if the previous ones have not brought about any improvement. As always, any decision in this regard will be made together with the treating doctor.

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