Medical Problems: Urinary Incontinence In Males

OVERVIEW

This page is designed to organize content that is relevant to the topic of urinary incontinence in males. This term is used often in medicine, and it is important that we become as familiar as possible with it.

WHAT EXACTLY IS IT?

Before going any farther, let us make sure we clearly define the “medical problem”. Urinary incontience in females is self descriptive. It refers to the involuntary loss of urine experienced by a female patient. There are a few types of urinary incontinence:

  1. Stress incontinence: this refers to the loss of urine as the result of increased intra-abodminal pressure (coughing sneezing laughing, lifting).
  2. Urge incontinence: this is a sudden overwhelming urge to empty the bladder (can occur frequently)
  3. Overflow incontinence: this refers to incontience that results from the bladder being overfilled. It is characterized by constant involuntarily dribbling of urine, and the incomplete emptying of the bladder.
WHY IS IT A PROBLEM?

The inability to control the bladder is not only inconvenient, but can also be the sign of a dangerous disease process.

ORGANIZING THE DIFFERENTIAL

The differential diagnosis for urinary incontinence in males can be organized in a few different ways:

  • Can’t miss diagnosis
  • Organ systen
  • Disease category
  • Diagnostic modality
  • Most common diagnosis
CLINICAL “WORKUP”

Now that the possible causes of urinary incontinence in males have been established, the focus can shift to how one would actually “work-up” a female patient who has urinary incontinence.

  • Collecting the history
  • Peforming the physical 
  • Ordering studies/tests
  • Intrepreting clinical data

 

Page Updated: 10.15.2016