Incontinence Flashcards
What is the definition of incontinence?
any involuntary loss of urine which is a social or hygienic problem
What proportion of women attending primary care clinics report incontinence?
46%
What is the incidence of overactive bladder in institutionalised elderly females?
50% or more
What are the 5 commonest types of urinary incontinence in women?
- Stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
- Urge incontinence/ Overactive bladder (OAB)
- Mixed incontinence (SUI and OAB)
- Retention with overflow
- Fistula
What is the commonest cause of urinary incontinence?
stress urinary incontinence (40%)
What is the definition of stress incontinence?
involuntary loss of urine on effort or physical exertion, including sporting activities, or on sneezing or coughing, in the absence of any detrusor contraction
What term can sometimes be used to describe stress incontinence, to avoid confusion with psychological stress?
activity-related incontinence
What proportion of cases of female urinary incontinence does OAB (aka urge incontinence) account for?
30%
What are the symptoms of overactive bladder incontinence?
sudden, compeling desire to pass urine which is difficult to defer (urgency)
usually associated with daytime urinary frequency (more than previously deemed normal) and nocturia (interruption of sleep one or more times because of need to micturate)
in severe cases, enuresis (bed wetting)
What distinguishes overactive bladder from urge urinary incontinence?
UUI is a severe form of OAB
What is mixed urinary incontinence?
women complain of incontinence associated with both urgency and physical exertion (accounts for 30% of cases)
In which group of patients is retention with overflow a common form of incontinence?
elderly female patients, with an underactive bladder or with a neurological problem
What is the mechanism of retention with overflow?
bladder continues to fill until it spills over, resulting in leakage (due to underactive bladder or neurological problem)
How can a fistula cause urinary incontinence?
it is an abnormal communication between two epithelial surface; any communication between the lower urinary tract (ureter, bladder or urethra) and the genital tract (uterus and vagina) will result in continuous dribbling
What is the commonest cause of a fistula causing incontinence in 1. the UK and 2. in under-resourced countries?
- Complication of surgery
- Obstructed labour
How common are fistulae as a cause of incontinence in the UK?
1 in 1000 cases of incontinence
What are 4 structures/ features involved in the maintenance of continence?
- Proximal urethral sphincter mechanism
- Distal urethral sphincter mechanism
- Supporting tissues around urethra
- Bladder stability - detrusor action
What role does the proximal urethral sphincter play in maintaining continence?
- present in the region of the bladder neck
- is a water-tight seal; maintains pressure in urethra greater than in the bladder.
- Anatomical basis of the seal is series of arteriovenous anastomoses within wall of proximal urethra, which allow degree of turgor pressure to be exerted circumferentially around urethra, which results in formation of hermetic seal by keeping urethra occluded
- if pressure exerted in numerous places around circumference of tube, it will close
What role does the distal urethral sphincter play in the maintenance of continence?
- pressure in proximal urethra exceeds that in bladder; greatest pressure difference exists at mid-urethra
- this is made of striated muscle within wall of urethra and is innerved by nerve roots S2-4 via pudendal nerve
What are the 2 key types of supporting tissues around the urethra that play a role in maintaining continence?
- pubourethral ligaments, derived from fascia of pelvic floor
- to lesser degree, the pelvic floor musculature, namely the levator ani muscle
What is the innervation of the distal (external) urethral sphincter?
nerve roots S2-4 via pudendal nerve
What role do the supporting tissues around the urethra pay in maintaining continence?
maintain proximal urethra in intra-abdominal position and any rise in intra-abdominal pressure is transmitted equally to bladder and proximal urethra - pressure difference will not change and continence will be maintained
What can result from any weakness or damage to the supporting tissues around the urethra?
can make urethra hypermobile and any rise in intra-abdominal pressure makes it move outside the abdomen, leading to unequal distribution of pressure, which may predispose to SUI
What is the role of bladder stability and the detrusor muscle in maintaining continence?
detrusor should relax during bladder filling and contract during micturition; involves complex interaction between structural anatomic parts of the urinary tract + between nervous control systems
What is one of the possible causes of overactive bladder and how does this work?
involuntary bladder i.e. detrusor contraction: if contraction is modest, woman will appreciate contraction as urinary urgency, but if contraction is strong enough to elevate pressure inside bladder above urethra, there will be urge urinary incontinence
What is the aetiology of stress urinary incontinence?
degree of weakness of one or both of the proximal and distal urethral sphincter mechanisms and/or supporting tissues around the urethra
What are 5 predisposing factors to stress urinary incontinence?
- Pregnancy and vaginal delivery
- Prolapse
- Menopause
- Collagen disorder
- Obesity
What type of delivery after pregnancy particularly predisposes to stress urinary incontinence?
vaginal delivery
How can pregnancy itself cause stress incontinence?
- can cause some irreversible pelvic floor damage
- during pregnancy, raised intra-abdominal pressure related to uterine contents together with smooth muscle-relaxant effect of progesterone
How can vaginal delivery contribute to stress UI?
- may cause direct damage of pelvic floor or denervation of the pudendal nerve (pudendal neuropathy)
- first vaginal delivery causes maximum damage to the pelvic floor and all subsequent vaginal births can worsen the damage
What is a possible protective factor against stress urinary incontinence?
elective caesarean section
Why is prolapse a risk factor for stress urinary incontinence?
they co-exist in over 50% of cases; relationship relates to pelvic floor dysfunction which is the main aetiology of both conditions
What is the link between menopause and stress urinary incontinence?
lack of oestrogen weakens urethral sphincter complex and reduces maximal urethral closure pressure (intrinsic sphincter deficiency)
effect of this pressure reduction is that a smaller rise in intra-abdominal pressure will result in SUI
How can collagen disorders lead to stress urinary incontinence?
collagen is a major component of the pubo-urethral ligament
several different types of collagen within body, different types of collagen in varying proportions in the puboruethral ligaments of women who become incontinent compared with those who do not
What are 3 types of aetiology of overactive bladder?
- Idiopathic (most cases)
- Neurological conditions e.g. multiple sclerosis, stroke or spinal cord injury
- Psychological upset (higher incidence of anxiety and neuroses)
What are 2 causes of voiding difficulty?
- Underactive detrusor - hypotonia, 90% of cases
- Anatomical obstruction - 10%
What are 2 possible causes of anatomical obstruction leading to voiding difficulty?
- previous surgery
- increased urethral sphincter activity (e.g. neurological disease)
What are 4 possible causes of detrusor hypotonia leading to voiding difficulty?
- Ageing - natural reduction in muscle fibres and strength
- Pregnancy and childbirth causing nerve damage (pudendal neuropathy)
- Infrequent voiders as young women - more prone
- Neurological disease - detrusor hypotonia (or obstruction)
How can neurological disease lead to voiding difficulty through obstruction (as well as detrusor hypotonia)?
inappropriate contraction of urethral sphincter or incoordination (dyssynergia) between bladder and urethral sphincter complex
What are 5 symptoms of overactive bladder?
- Frequency
- Urgency
- Nocturia
- Urge incontinence
- Enuresis
What are 5 voiding symptoms to ask about when women report incontinence?
- Hesitancy
- Straining to void
- Poor or intermittent urinary stream
- Sensation of incomplete emptying
- Post-micturition dribbling
What are 3 red flag urinary symptoms to rule out?
- Haematuria
- Persistent bladder or urethral pain
- Recurrent urinary traction infection (UTI)
If any red flag symptom is present with urinary symptoms (haematuria, persistent bladder/urethral pain, recurrent UTI) what is warranted?
urological assessment of lower and upper urinary tracts
What proportion of women with stress urinar incontinence have coexisting pelvic organ prolapse?
50%
What must you always ask about when women present with urinary problems?
quality of life impact
can limit physical or social activity, cause depression/loss of self esteem/anxiety, sex life - incontinence during intercourse
nocturia can affect concentration and working
nocturia carries risk of falls in elderly e.g. #NOF
What other organ can be impacted in urinary problems?
bowel dysfunction can be associated
What are 6 overall ways urinary incontinence can affect quality of life?
- Emotions - stigma and humiliation, social and recreational withdrawal, anxiety
- Relationships - reduced intimacy, affection and physical proximity. Marriage breakdown
- Employment - absence from work, loss of concentration, interruption for toilet breaks
- Sleep - tiredness, risk of falls in elderly
- Exercise and sport - barrier to exercise
- Travel and holidays - relucant to visit new places, need to pack protective materials
What are 7 types of investigations which may be performed in cases of urinary incontinence?
- Clinical examination
- Urinalysis
- Frequency-volume chart (bladder diary)
- Cystoscopy
- Ultrasound measurement of post-void residual volume
- Quality-of-life questionnaires
- Urodynamic studies
What type of clinical examination should be performed in cases of urinary incontinence?
abdominal and pelvic examination
What might 1. abdominal and 2. pelvic examination reveal in a woman suffering from incontinence?
- Palpable bladder - urinary retention, pelvic mass
- Pelvic organ prolapse, vaginal atrophy
What are 4 possible additional observations when performing abdominal and pelvic examinations to look for?
- Stress UI - clinical stress leakage: observed involuntary leakage from urethra synchronous with effort or physical exertion, or sneezing or coughing
- Extra-urethral incontinence: urine leakage through channels other than urethral meatus e.g. fistula or ectopic ureter
- Focus neurological examination: if appropriate e.g. cognitive function, ambulation, mobility, hand function, lumbar and sacral spinal segment function
- PR exam: if symptoms of anal incontinence, anal sphincter tone should be determined
When should you perform urinalysis in the workup for incontinence?
every woman presenting with LUTS should have urinalysis performed
What are 3 things to look for on urinalysis?
- Leucocytes and nitrites suggests UTI
- Recurrent UTI or haematuria - cystoscopy and USS of upper renal tracts for malignancy
- Glycosuria - diabetes (can cause recurrent UTI and frequency)
What is the management if UTI is detected on urinalysis?
- broad-spectrum antbiotic started
- mid-stream specimen of urine sent