Try: More than 19 million people in north america experience incontinence or bladder leakage millions more care for a loved one with incontinence incontinence is not a disease; it is always a symptom or side effect of another medical condition many of the causes are temporary and can be managed with simple treatment incontinence is the inability to control urination or bowel movements incontinence is a symptom not an illness it is a sign of something else happening in the body not a sign of aging urinary incontinence or bladder leakage involves the urinary system the pelvic muscles the spinal cord and even transmissions of messages to and from the brain when one of these fails bladder leakage occurs and urine is released at the wrong time causes incontinence can have a number of causes the most common are relaxation of the pelvic muscles often seen in women over 35 who have had several children reduced muscle control that can occur with menopause infections or inflammation of the bladder or the urethra the tube that leads from the bladder to outside of the body nervous system disorders resulting from birth defects such as spina bifida brain damage or stroke diabetes or spinal cord injuries neuromuscular diseases such as multiple sclerosis muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy certain medication caffeine and alcohol can make incontinence worse types of incontinence incontinence varies from person to person and from day to day generally there are three levels of incontinence #light incontinence is occasional uncontrolled voiding of a small amount of urine #moderate incontinence is uncontrolled voiding of small to moderate amounts of urine #severe incontinence is uncontrolled daily voiding of moderate to large amounts of urine and or stool of course incontinence affects each person differently it’s all a matter of lifestyle and attitude information references "incontinence help" 2008 by sherman oaks medical supplies available at www shermanoaksmedical com
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Categories: Sage, Topic, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical
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Keywords: Incontinence bladder urine wets pants leaky pipes
*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed