New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Reference Terms
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary excretion of urine from one's body. Stress incontinence is essentially due to pelvic floor muscle weakness. It is loss of small amounts of urine with coughing, laughing, sneezing, exercising or other movements that increase intrabdominal pressure and thus increase pressure on the bladder. Physical changes resulting from pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause often cause stress incontinence, and in men it is a common problem following a prostatectomy. It is the most common form of incontinence in women and is treatable. Urge incontinence is involuntary loss of urine occurring for no apparent reason while suddenly feeling the need or urge to urinate. The most common cause of urge incontinence is involuntary and inappropriate detrusor muscle contractions. Involuntary actions of bladder muscles can occur because of damage to the nerves of the bladder, to the nervous system (spinal cord and brain), or to the muscles themselves. Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's Disease, stroke, and injury - including injury that occurs during surgery - can all harm bladder nerves or muscles. People with functional incontinence may have problems thinking, moving, or communicating that prevent them from reaching a toilet. A person with Alzheimer's Disease, for example, may not think well enough to plan a timely trip to a restroom. A person in a wheelchair may be blocked from getting to a toilet in time. Conditions such as these are often associated with age and account for some of the incontinence of elderly women and men in nursing homes.

Related Stories
 


Health & Medicine News

June 8, 2026

A major long-term study of more than 54,000 adults found that where nitrate comes from may matter far more than how much you consume. People who got more nitrate from vegetables—roughly the amount in a cup of baby spinach a day—had a lower risk ...
A trio of major studies found that finerenone may protect the kidneys and heart in far more people than previously thought. The drug significantly slowed kidney disease progression and reduced the ...
A traditional Chinese medicinal root used for over a thousand years is attracting new scientific attention for its potential to combat hair loss. Studies suggest Polygonum multiflorum can block harmful hormones, activate hair-growth signals, protect ...
A large study found that women taking GLP-1 drugs, the medication class behind Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound, were about 30% less likely to develop breast cancer. Researchers say the ...
Supplements are often marketed as shortcuts to better health, but for many older adults, the real issue is whether they have a specific deficiency. Vitamins like B12 and D can play an important role when levels are low, while protein may be one of ...
Scientists warn that free-living amoebae may be an underappreciated public health threat, capable of causing deadly infections and shielding other dangerous microbes from water treatment. Climate change and aging infrastructure could help these ...
Scientists have successfully tested an AI-designed universal coronavirus vaccine in humans for the first time, finding it to be safe and well tolerated. The vaccine generated immune responses against multiple coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, ...
Scientists have identified genetic variants that may make some people less responsive to GLP-1 drugs used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Roughly 10% of the population carries these variants, which appear to cause a mysterious form of "GLP-1 resistance." ...
A major review of nearly 8,000 participants found that collagen supplements can improve skin health and ease osteoarthritis symptoms, especially when taken consistently over longer periods. Researchers also found modest benefits for muscle and ...
A large study of older adults in Brazil found that adding extra salt at the table is still a common habit, especially among men. While too much salt is linked to serious health problems and faster cognitive decline, researchers discovered that ...
For decades, pancreatic cancer has been one of the most lethal cancers, with few effective treatment options. A new drug, daraxonrasib, targets the KRAS mutation that fuels most pancreatic ...
A newly discovered genetic clock acts as the master timekeeper for development, orchestrating crucial bursts of gene activity throughout a worm’s growth. When the clock is disrupted, development ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET