As an issue that affects 25% of people – both male and females at some point in their life (more than asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy combined).
And yet urinary incontinence (UI) is still seen as one of the last health taboos in modern society. It is mainly embarrassment that stops many men from accessing helpful NHS services. Incontinence is often seen as a woman’s problem as it affects 32% of females, yet 13% of males are also affected.
It is also not true that incontinence only affects older people. Although more likely, symptoms can develop at any age. It is estimated that around 5 million people under the age of 24 in the UK alone have experienced bladder control issues.
Table of Contents
The Different Types of Urinary Incontinence – Symptoms & Causes
Urinary incontinence means urine is passed unintentionally. This can happen at different times and for different reasons which determines the type of urinary incontinence you have. Although it can cause embarrassment, and prevent us from seeking help, getting advice from your GP is always recommended. UI is common, 9 out of 10 who suffer with incontinence will have either stress incontinence or urge incontinence – the two most common types of UI.
Stress Incontinence
This is when urine is leaked whilst your bladder is put under extra sudden pressure, for example when coughing. It is not related to feeling stressed. Other causes of urine to leak as a result of stress incontinence are:
- Sneezing
- Laughing
- Heavy lifting
- Exercise
The amount of urine passed during UI is normally small, however stress incontinence can sometimes cause larger amounts to be passed, especially if the bladder is particularly full.
Urge Incontinence (Urgency Incontinence)
This is a sudden and very intense need to pass urine and you are unable to delay going to the toilet, with normally only a few seconds between the need to urinate and the release of urine. This is sometimes triggered by a sudden change in body position, or even by the sound of running water.
Less Common Types of Urinary Incontinence
Mixed Incontinence
This is a mixture of both urge and stress incontinence combined, meaning that you might unintentionally pass urine if you sneeze or cough and also experience very intense urges to pass urine.
Overflow Incontinence
Also known as ‘chronic urinary retention’, this occurs when the bladder isn’t able to fully empty when passing urine, causing the bladder to swell above its normal size. Overflow incontinence can cause small trickles of urine to be passed very often and may also feel as though your bladder is never completely empty.
Total Incontinence
UI that is severe and continuous is known as total incontinence and may cause you to pass large amounts of urine, even at night. Alternatively, you might pass large amounts of urine occasionally and only leak small amounts in between.
Incontinence & Disposal of Offensive Waste
Often, there is no option for male UI sufferers other than to dispose of their ‘offensive’ waste down the toilet. This can lead to blockages and cause bad odours. A complete deep clean of the drains can be an expensive cost for a business, not to mention the cost to water companies in having to remove the build up of waste in the sewer system.
Citron Hygiene offer a fully licensed and discreet collection and disposal service for incontinence waste. Enabling you, your staff and the public to feel confident that this issue is being dealt with professionally and responsibly.
We operate from a nationwide network of hygiene service centres to ensure that your waste solutions are provided by a local team dedicated to keeping your facilities compliant and running smoothly. We have experts on hand to provide advice should you need it.
At Citron Hygiene, we believe in taking an innovative and intelligent approach to providing the most effective washroom products and services. We lead the way in safe offensive hygiene disposal and whilst our solutions generally support female waste disposal, we are ideally placed to ensure the male population has an equally caring approach and the taboos surrounding male incontinence are broken.
You can find out more information about incontinence on the NHS website.
