Prof. Dr. Oktay Demirkesen, Urology Specialist, informs that one out of every four women aged 40 years and over in Türkiye suffers from urinary incontinence.
Prof. Demirkesen explains the effects of urinary incontinence on daily life and informs about the treatment processes.
Noting that 400 million individuals in the world have urinary incontinence, Demirkesen states that one out of every four women aged 40 years and over in Türkiye suffers from urinary incontinence.
According to the news of IHA, Prof. Dr. Oktay Demirkesen notes that there is an increase in the number of women with urinary incontinence. Prof. Demirkesen summarizes the types of urinary incontinence in women as follows: “We can roughly classify the types of 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, which refers to urinary incontinence resulting from exertional movement, is the most common type. Stress incontinence is a form of urinary incontinence caused by increased intra-bladder pressure. As the definition suggests, 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. Pregnancy and/or childbirth, previous surgeries, and obesity can be considered as risk factors for stress urinary incontinence.
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. Additionally, other types of urinary incontinence have been described, but they occur rarely.
For example, the patient may describe the problem as ‘I experience urine leakage continuously or without realizing’. Or, they may experience urinary incontinence during the night. However, these are mostly rare forms or may occur in the advanced stages of other types of urinary incontinence. Therefore, the types of urinary incontinence can be appropriately categorized into three groups as I mentioned”.
“AWARENESS OF URINARY INCONTINENCE IS LOW IN OUR COUNTRY”
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. According to surveys conducted in Türkiye, it is estimated that 2 million and 700 thousand women have urinary incontinence; however, only 31 thousand of these individuals consult a specialist physician for the solution of this problem”.
Demirkesen points out that the awareness of urinary incontinence is low in our country, emphasizing that women with urinary incontinence in Türkiye mostly suffer from a lack of self-confidence and the fear of going out in public.
“URINARY INCONTINENCE AFFECTS PEOPLE’S SOCIAL LIFE”
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: “The frequency and severity of urinary incontinence takes a significant part in a person’s social life. In some cases, we observe that 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”.
Noting that there are several surgical and non-surgical treatment modalities for urinary incontinence, Prof. Dr. Oktay Demirkesen emphasizes that hygiene is particularly important even before treatment.
Prof. Demirkesen informs that treatment methods for urinary incontinence lead to successful outcomes, adding that the use of bladder pads can be highly useful until the patient benefits from treatment.
Emphasizing that the benefits of bladder pads also include the facilitation of treatment adherence, Demirkesen says: “There is a lot of misinformation about the outcomes of urinary incontinence treatment and it is, therefore, necessary to raise awareness of this subject matter”.
Demirkesen further adds: “The effect of urinary incontinence on the quality of life is usually associated with the severity of leakage. However, even a small amount of leakage has highly significant consequences for socially active individuals. We need to select the most effective treatment modality for these individuals as soon as possible. Moreover, it is also necessary to control urinary incontinence to avoid any further problems”.
Kaynak: Haber Türk