What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is defined as the involuntary loss of urine and occurs in both men and women.
Is urinary incontinence common in men?
Although it is a much more common problem in women, one in four cases of urinary incontinence occurs in men.
What is the cause of urine leakage in men, and is it different from the cause of leakage in women?
In women, urinary incontinence is caused by a laxity of the tissues due to age, multiple births, etc., which causes the mobilization of the urethra and, therefore, at that moment, when making efforts such as lifting weights or coughing, urine leaks. This is a very frequent problem.
In the case of the male, most of the time we observe urinary incontinence, it occurs after prostate surgery for benign or malignant diseases such as radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer or transurethral resection or open surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Approximately 8% of patients who undergo radical surgery for prostate cancer will have problems with urinary incontinence, to a greater or lesser degree.
When do men with urinary incontinence consult?
Most men affected by urinary incontinence do not consult their doctor about this problem because they do not know that it has a solution. The patient, who has undergone radical prostate surgery, is first concerned about the cancer. The success of cancer surgery is that after a reasonable time the patient is free of disease. With the passage of time, the concern about the cancer diminishes and he begins to try to recover his normal life, which means that he tries to recover his sexual life and correct urine incontinence if it exists. The male, socially, does not accept urine leakage because it affects his quality of life, causes skin irritation, sleep disorders, etc. Patients should know that there are very effective solutions to urine leakage problems.