ACUPUNCTURE AND URINARY INCONTINENCE About urinary incontinence

Around 1.5% of adults in Europe and the USA have urge urinary incontinence (involuntary leakage immediately preceded or accompanied by urgency) (Abrams 2003; Irwin 2006). This is usually due to overactive bladder syndrome (defined as urgency, with or without urge incontinence, and usually with frequency and nocturia) (Abrams 2003). The symptoms of an overactive bladder are thought to be due to involuntary contractions of the detrusor muscle in the bladder wall during the filling phase of the micturition cycle (Andersson 1997). Treatment of urge urinary incontinence usually comprises general and lifestyle measures, bladder retraining and physiotherapy and drug therapy with antimuscarinics. Unwanted effects of antimuscarinic drugs include dry mouth, gastrointestinal disturbances such as constipation, blurred vision, dry eyes, drowsiness, difficulty in micturition, palpitations, skin reactions such as dry skin and rash, headache, angioedema, and arrhythmias (Joint Formulary Committee 2009).