Urinary Incontinence in the Elderly

Urinary Incontinence in the Elderly

from Southern Medical Journal

Key Points

Frail nursing home residents often have urinary incontinence that can be improved or cured.

There are four types of chronic incontinence: Detrusor overactiviey (urge) incontinence, stress incontinence, overflow incontinence, and functional incontinence.

Treatment is based on the type of incontinence, and may include muscle exercises, biofeedback, electric stimulation, behavioral treatments, various surgical interventions, and pharmacologic treatments, such as anticholinergic-antispasmodic agents and alpha-adrenergic antagonists.

Reprint Address
Reprint requests to Ivan Merkelj, MD, East Tennessee State University, PO Box 70429, Johnson City, TN 37614-0429.

Section 8 of 8
South Med J 94(10):952-957, 2001. © 2001 Southern Medical Association
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