Management of urinary incontinence.

DISEASE OVERVIEW Urinary incontinence (UI) may be defined as any involuntary or abnormal urine loss. UI is characterized by lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), which include both storage and voiding problems. UI can be further defined by the patient’s presentations and symptoms. Urge urinary incontinence (UUI) is defined as involuntary urine leakage associated with urgency. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is defined as involuntary urine leakage associated with specific activities (e.g., sneezing and coughing. Mixed urinary incontinence (MUI) includes features of both UUI and SUI.1–3 Overflow incontinence (OFI) is caused by a hypotonic bladder, bladder outlet obstruction, or other forms of urinary retention. OFI may result in LUTS and in the loss of small amounts of urine; it most often occurs in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).4 The term overactive bladder (OAB) is often used to describe UI. OAB comprises a constellation of symptoms typically charac terized by urgency, with or without UUI, accompanied by frequency and nocturia.1