Ambulatory Series: Urinary Incontinence

Host/Editor: Dr. Alla Turshudzhyan, Chief Medical Resident at UCONN. Urinary incontinence is extremely common and is an underreported condition because of embarrassment associated with its symptoms and lack of knowledge about treatment options. There are many risk factors for urinary incontinence and some of them are modifiable, so it is crucial that we educate our patients about them. The main types of urinary incontinence are stress, urgency, and overflow incontinence. Patient with a combination of stress and urgency incontinence are described as having mixed urinary incontinence. When evaluating a patient with urinary incontinence, make sure to screen for other treatable causes such as vaginal atrophy, urinary tract infection; as well as reversible causes such as alcohol use, excessive caffeine intake, and severe constipation. Ask your patient to keep a voiding diary to help you better understand their voiding patterns. Bladder stress test can help you diagnose stress incontinence and post void residual can help you diagnose overflow incontinence. Urodynamic testing is reserved for cases with diagnostic uncertainty. Lastly, refer to urology when clinically indicated. Thank you for listening.