Open AccessDiagnosis and Non-Surgical Management of Urinary Incontinence – A Literature Review with Recommendations for Practice
Author(s) -
Eabhann O’Connor,
Aisling Nic An Ríogh,
Markos Karavitakis,
Serenella Monagas,
Arjun Nambiar
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of general medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.722
H-Index - 36
ISSN - 1178-7074
DOI - 10.2147/ijgm.s289314
Subject(s) - medicine , nice , urinary incontinence , excellence , narrative review , quality of life (healthcare) , population , intensive care medicine , surgery , nursing , environmental health , computer science , political science , law , programming language
Urinary incontinence (UI) is a bothersome symptom with population studies suggesting a prevalence of 13.1% in women and 5.4% in men. While a significant cohort of patients with this complaint may ultimately require surgical management to achieve complete continence, a number of non-surgical measures exist to improve symptoms and quality of life. A range of guidelines exist on this topic, including those published by the European Association of Urology (EAU), the International Continence Society (ICS), the American Urological Association (AUA) and the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The aim of our study is to provide an overview of the initial assessment of patients with UI including history taking, examination and basic investigations. Our review outlines non-surgical management strategies for UI, including conservative measures, behavioral and physical therapies and drug treatment. We shall also examine the above guidelines and present a narrative overview of the literature surrounding the diagnosis and non-surgical management of urinary incontinence.