Hello,
This is Dr. Robert McGrath , I am the Medical Director at Juventix Regenerative Medical.
I was walking through the supermarket doing my weekly shopping and proceeded down an aisle that had diapers on one side and incontinence products on the other. There was an extensive variety. I had no idea there were so many varieties of these products and obviously a great demand for them. I decided to do some research of this topic.
There are at least 6 major causes recognized for urinary incontinence
- Urge Incontinence
- Stress Incontinence
- Mixed Incontinence
- Functional Incontinence
- Overflow Incontinence
- Overactive Bladder
No matter what the cause, urinary incontinence is a very common problem.
Stress urinary incontinence effects at least 15 million adult females in the US.
17% females 16% males over 18 years old have urge incontinence.
12.2 million adults have urge incontinence.
1 in 3 women over 60 leak urine.
Stress incontinence increases with age.
National cost of urinary incontinence will all treatments included
- 9 Billion in 2007
- 2 Billion in 2015
- 6 Billion in 2020
These figures are probably low since most people are embarrassed that they need pads or incontinence garments and don’t report it or seek medical attention for these problems.
URGE INCONTINENCE
Urge incontinence occurs when you have a strong sudden need to urinate and it is difficult to dely. The bladder contracts and urine is lost.
The sphincter is the muscle around the opening of the bladder. It contracts and keeps urine from passing into the urethra.
When you voluntarily urinate, the bladder contracts and the sphincter relaxes and urine flows out through the urethra. This is a coordination of muscles and nerves.
With urge incontinence, the bladder squeezes and contracts at the wrong times no matter how much urine is in the bladder
Common causes
- Infection
- Nerve Injury
- Bladder Cancer
- Urinary Blockage such as enlarged prostate in men
- Bladder Stones
- In most cases, no etiology is found
MIXED INCONTINENCE
Activities such as coughing, sneezing, exercise, lifting heavy objects can cause a leakage. This is called stress incontinence and can also be associated with Urge incontinence.
FUNCTIONAL INCONTINENCE
Functional incontinence is when the person does not recognize the need to go to the bathroom.
OVERFLOW INCONTINENCE
Overflow incontinence is when your bladder does not completely empty. Small amounts of urine leak out when your bladder is too full. A person may or may not feel the need to urinate.
OVERACTIVE BLADDER
This describes a combination of symptoms that cause a frequent urge to urinate. It can be caused by weak muscles, nerve damage, obesity, infection, medications and excessive use of caffeine.
People with OAB have an urgent need to urinate that is uncontrollable.
OAB is a bladder problem caused by spasms of the bladder muscles.
STRESS INCONTINENCE
This is the most common type of incontinence
Caused by the urethra cannot stop the increased pressure on the bladder and leakage occurs
1 in 3 women suffer from SUI (Stress Urinary Incontinence) at some point in life
About half also have urge incontinence
Men can also get SUI likely due to prostate cancer of surgery with nerve damage
Symptoms of stress incontinence
Any activity that increases intra- abdominal pressure causes urine to leak ( Lifting heavy objects, exercising, coughing, sneezing, laughing)
In very severe cases, just standing up will cause leakage
There is no feeling of the need to urinate
Causes of SUI
The pelvic floor supports the urethra and bladder. If this area gets stretched of damaged, the supporting structures weaken and the bladder and urethra drop as in post pregnancy or aging.
Major causes include:
- Female greater than male
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
- Chronic coughing
- Nerve injuries
- Prior surgery
- Obesity
Diagnosis
- History and physical
- Urine sample looking for infection
- Bladder scan- post void residual – to see how much urine remains after voiding
- Cystoscopy- to examine the interior of the bladder
- Urodynamic studies to detect pressures and release of urine
What You Can Do For Stress Urinary Incontinence
- Absorbent pads
- Weight loss if obese
- Stop smoking- this will help/stop the coughing
- Maintain normal bowel habits to prevent constipation
- KEGEL exercises- contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles ( you may need to see a physical therapist to teach the proper way to do these exercises)
- Bladder training as far as how much liquid you consume, how often you urinate
Treatment
- Vaginal devices such as Pessaries inserted into the vagina to support the floor of the bladder
- Urethral Plug- actually a balloon tipped catheter like device that blocks the urethra and can be deflated and removed at the time for urination
- Surgery- there are many different types of surgical procedures for SUI. All keep the bladder and urethra from moving down during increased pressure
- Platelet-Rich-Plasma
Platelet- Rich-Plasma is an autologous blood derived product that contains concentrated amounts of platelets and growth factors. The concentrated platelets are rich in bioactive proteins and they work with growth factors to trigger and accelerate tissue repair.
The USE of PLATELET-RICH-PLASMA as a NOVEL NONSURGICAL TREATMENT of the STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY
Female Pelvis Med Reconstr Surg 2021 Nov 1;27(11): 668-672 PMID 34534197
This study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Platelet-Rich-Plasma for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence
After only 2 treatments with PRP, a significant improvement in SUI symptoms was observed 3 months after treatment with further improvement at 6 months. At the 6 months follow up, 80% of women reported to be at least improved.
Conclusion: PRP were both effective and safe at least in the short term and could be offered as an alternative outpatient procedure for the treatment of SUI.
This is an interesting study. After only 2 treatments with PRP, 80% of women in the study showed improvement and No side effects were noted.
Juventix Regenerative Medical Platelet-Rich-Plasma Kits are FDA approved and provide a reproducible quantity of Platelet-Rich-Plasma for use in these patients.
The selection of the PRP Kit make a difference in the outcome.
Explore a true alternative in Stress Urinary Incontinence treatment, choose Juventix.
Regenerative Regards,
Juventix Regenerative Medical
