Different types of urinary incontinence abound. There is stress incontinence, urge incontinence, overflow and mixed incontinence, functional incontinence and gross total incontinence. Complications are almost as plentiful, including skin problems and urinary tract (bladder) infections. Fortunately, treatment options are also numerous in number; with some incontinence treatments as simple as reducing caffeine, alcohol or acidic foods.
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Incontinence
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Urinary incontinence (also known as bladder control loss) is a common problem. Symptoms can be as mild as an occasional loss of bladder control while sneezing (called stress incontinence), to not being able to get pants unbuttoned and off in time (known as functional incontinence), or as severe as being unable to control urination urges at all (urge incontinence).
Stress Incontinence
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Stress incontinence occurs when the bladder is stressed in some way during a physical activity: laughing, coughing, sneezing, exercising or lifting heavy items. Women experience this type of incontinence during menopause, child birth and pregnancy, when the sphincter muscles become weakened. The removal of the prostate gland in men can cause them to have stress incontinence.
Urge Incontinence
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Known as overactive bladder when the exact cause is unknown, urge incontinence can actually have many causes: Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, urinary tract infections, bowel problems or irritation of the bladder. Urge incontinence is one of the most embarrassing types of incontinence, since it can occur at any time and happens rapidly, too rapidly to allow for a trip to the bathroom.
Overflow Incontinence
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Diabetics with nerve damage, along with those who suffer from a blocked urethra or a bladder that is damaged, experience overflow incontinence. This condition produces the symptom of being unable to fully empty the bladder. A trip to the bathroom might produce a weak output of urine, never fully ridding the body of the urine in it. Remaining urine can leak out slowly, between trips to the bathroom.
Mixed and Functional Incontinence
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Mixed incontinence is merely experiencing the complications of more than one type of this problem at a time. Functional incontinence is not really a problem with the bladder per se; it is incontinence due to other medical problems, such as rheumatoid arthritis (and the inability to unbutton the pants at a time of need).
Gross Total Incontinence
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Injuries or anatomical defects generally cause this type of uncontrollable urination problem known as gross incontinence. Therefore, urine can leak out continuously (day and night) or in large volumes on occasion. The leaks are uncontrollable and can present great embarrassment to the individual who suffers from this type of incontinence.
Infection
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Infrequent bladder removal experienced with overflow incontinence can contribute to the number of infections an individual has due to this condition. According to the Mayo Clinic, the risk for urinary tract infection grows due to having any type of the condition incontinence.
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