Nearly 400 million people in the world suffer from urinary incontinence (involuntary urinary leakage). Women are more likely to face this problem, which makes life more difficult.
In Türkiye, one out of every four women aged 40 years and over faces urinary incontinence. Stating that there is an increase in the number of women with urinary incontinence, Urology Specialist Prof. Dr. Oktay Demirkesen explains that the incidences become comparable between genders in advanced age, that is, after the age of 75 years. Prof. Demirkesen summarizes the types of urinary incontinence in women as follows:
“We can roughly classify urinary incontinence in women into three groups. Urinary incontinence is defined as involuntary and objectively demonstrable urine leakage leading to social and hygienic problems.
WOMEN FACE “STRESS TYPE” URINARY INCONTINENCE THE MOST
‘Stress-type’ urinary incontinence is the most common type characterized by involuntary leakage resulting from exertional movement. Increased intra-bladder pressure causes stress-type incontinence. The word ‘stress’ in this term has nothing to do with psychological stress. Stress urinary incontinence may result from muscle dysfunction at the bladder outlet and the weakness of pelvic floor muscles supporting the bladder. Risk factors include pregnancy, previous surgeries, and obesity. The second type of urinary incontinence, ‘urge incontinence’, manifests itself as difficulty reaching the toilet in time. The ‘mixed type’, where the first two types occur together, is another form of urinary incontinence.”
2.7 MILLION WOMEN IN TÜRKİYE ARE AFFECTED
Stating that the incidence of urinary incontinence is increasing every year in the world and in Türkiye, Demirkesen says, “According to the International Continence Society, 400 million people in the world and 50 million people in Europe have urinary incontinence.
In Türkiye, it is estimated that 2.7 million women have urinary incontinence; however, only 31 thousand of these individuals seek the help of a specialist physician for the solution of this problem.”
URINARY INCONTINENCE LEADS TO SEVERE DEPRESSION
Demirkesen notes that urinary incontinence is a condition that affects the quality of life, having the potential to lead to psychological problems including severe depression in women. Prof. Demirkesen says:
“In some cases, individuals fall short of their work expectations, failing to sustain their work efficiency or productivity. These result in losses in the workforce, having numerous relevant consequences. Moreover, this disorder can affect sexual life unfavorably with effects on the overall quality of life of the individual”.
There are several surgical and non-surgical treatment methods for urinary incontinence. Noting the importance of hygiene even before treatment, Prof. Demirkesen informs that treatment methods for urinary incontinence lead to successful outcomes and that the use of bladder pads can be highly useful until the patient benefits from treatment.
Source: NTV