ABSTRACT
Anatomical causes often result in continuous leakage of urine, whereas leakage tends to be episodic if the cause is dysfunction. Transient causes of urinary incontinence (UI) include urinary tract infection, restricted mobility, constipation, acute illness, confusion, dementia, diabetes mellitus or insipidus, and cardiac failure. Neurological causes of UI should always be considered a possible differential cause. Primary evaluation of UI is directed towards categorising the type of incontinence. A cystometrogram should be considered if the type of incontinence is not clearly defined. The definition of urge urinary incontinence is ‘the involuntary loss of urine resulting from an increase in bladder pressure secondary to a bladder contraction’. The definition of stress urinary incontinence is ‘the involuntary loss of urine resulting from an increased intra-abdominal pressure, which overcomes the resistance of the bladder outlet in the absence of a true bladder contraction’.
