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Incontinence - urinary, in women - Background information
What is it?
- Urinary incontinence is defined as any involuntary leakage of urine. The main types are:
- Stress urinary incontinence: involuntary leakage on effort or exertion, or on sneezing or coughing.
- Urgency incontinence (or urge urinary incontinence): involuntary leakage accompanied by, or immediately preceded by, a sudden compelling desire to pass urine which is difficult to defer (urgency).
- Mixed urinary incontinence: involuntary leakage associated with both urgency and also physical stress (exertion, effort, sneezing, or coughing).
- Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome is defined as urgency, usually with increased frequency and nocturia, which may occur with or without urgency incontinence.
- Chronic urinary retention (overflow incontinence) occurs when the bladder cannot empty completely and becomes overdistended.
- Detrusor overactivity is a urodynamic observation characterized by involuntary detrusor contractions during the filling phase which may be spontaneous or provoked.
[Abrams et al, 2002; Berghmans et al, 2004; National Collaborating Centre for Women's and Children's Health, 2006; University of Maryland Medical Center, 2006]
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