DEFINITION AND EPIDEMIOLOGY Incontinence defined as the complaint of any involuntary leakage of urine, in amount and frequency sufficient to cause health problems or social problems The prevalence of incontinence increases with age and with increasing frailty, and is 1.3 to 2.0 times greater in older women (35%) than in older men (22%) The prevalence approaches 60% among nursing home residents.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
BASIC CAUSE Urologic ( inflamation , tumour ) , neurologic (stroke, Spinal cord injury, dementia), psychological, and functional factors may contribute to incontinence. As is the case for a number of other common geriatric problems, multiple disorders often interact to cause urinary incontinence. Determining the cause or causes facilitates proper management ACUTE/REVERSIBLE PERSISTENT
Decline in functional bladder capacity has been associated with advanced age, this may be because of the higher prevalence of involuntary bladder contractions and detrusor overactivity in older persons . Involuntary bladder contractions are found in 40% to 75% of elderly incontinent patients, but also in 5% to 10% of elderly continent women and in up to onethird of elderly men with no or minimal urinary symptoms. Detrusor overactivity has been associated with specific anatomical findings (protrusion junctions and ultra-close abutment of detrusor muscle cells ) on bladder biopsy.