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The many faces of urinary incontinence

10.11.2012

As embarrassing as they may be, most bladder control problems certainly won't lead to seeking out emergency department physicians, urgent medical care, or anything along those lines. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be taken seriously.

According to Loyola University in Chicago, almost 16 percent of women in the United State are afflicted with a degree of urinary incontinence. Moreover, women are twice as likely to have difficulty controlling their bladders as men.

"Women don’t need to suffer in silence," Linda Brubaker, a professor from the University who recently conducted research on Botox's capacity for reducing instances of urinary incontinence. "There are effective treatments available and more options now than ever."

During a six-month long study conducted by Brubaker and her associates, almost 250 women with severe bladder control problems were given either daily oral medication or Botox injections, administered by doctors directly into their bladders. Six months later, the study participants' average instances of unintentional urination had dropped from about five per day to much closer to three per day.

Loyola researchers studies incontinence among marathon runners
In the near future, Chicago's Loyola University researchers plan to study the implications of incontinence for marathon runners.

Melinda Abernethy, M.D., a fellow in the division of Female Pelvic Medicine at Loyola University, recently noted that the exponential physical stress placed on marathon runners leaves them prone to loss of urinary control that could continue after the race has concluded. Furthermore, those who already cope with urinary incontinence are substantially more likely to have an episode during a marathon.

Though Abernethy and her associates have yet to release their research, she discourages runners in future Chicago Marathons to procrastinate for more than a few hours when they have to urinate during a long-distance competition.

Of course, it's not just elderly women and marathon runners who occasionally experience incontinence. A study published in the journal Biofeedback states that quantitative electroencephalography neurofeedback has successfully cured 11 individuals who chronically urinated in their sleep. The authors say that only 15 percent of kids with bed-wetting problems will ever cease the unconscious behavior without some form of corrective therapy.

Categories: Health and Wellness 

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