Urinary incontinence isn't a disease; it's a symptom. It indicates some underlying problem or condition that likely can and should be treated. With urinary incontinence, some experience only occasional, minor leaks, or dribbles of urine while others wet their clothes frequently. A thorough evaluation by your doctor can help determine the cause of your incontinence.
Following are signs and symptoms for different types of urinary incontinence:

• Stress incontinence. Stress incontinence involves a loss of urine when you exert pressure or stress on your bladder by coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising or lifting something heavy. This condition has nothing to do with psychological stress. It occurs when the sphincter muscle at the bladder is weakened. It is especially noticeable when you let your bladder get too full. Stress incontinence is one of the most common types of incontinence, often affecting women. Physical changes resulting from pregnancy, childbirth and menopause can cause this type of incontinence. In men, removal of the prostate gland can lead to stress incontinence.

• Urge incontinence. Urge incontinence involves a sudden, intense urge to urinate, followed by an involuntary loss of urine. Your bladder muscle contracts and may give you a warning of only a few seconds to a minute to reach a toilet. With urge incontinence, you may also need to urinate often. The need to urinate may even wake you up several times a night. Some people with urge incontinence have a strong desire to urinate when they hear water running or after they drink only a small amount of liquid. Simply going from sitting to standing may even cause you to leak urine. It may be caused by a urinary tract infection or by anything that irritates the bladder. It can also be caused by bowel problems or damage to the nervous system associated with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, or injury. Urge incontinence is often called an overactive bladder.

• Overflow incontinence. Overflow incontinence involves a frequent or constant dribble urine caused by an inability to empty your bladder, leading to overflow. You may feel as if you never completely empty your bladder. When you try to urinate, you may produce only a weak stream of urine. This type of incontinence is common in people with a damaged bladder or blocked urethra and in men with prostate gland problems. Nerve damage from diabetes can also lead to overflow incontinence. Some medications can cause or increase the risk of developing this type of incontinence.

• Mixed incontinence. If you experience symptoms of more than one type of urinary incontinence, such as stress incontinence and urge incontinence, you have mixed incontinence. Usually one type is more prevalent than the other.

• Functional incontinence. Functional incontinence occurs when a person does not recognize the need to go to the toilet, recognize where the toilet is, or get to the toilet in time. The urine loss may be large. It is caused by a physical or mental impairment such as confusion, dementia, poor eyesight, poor mobility, poor dexterity, unwillingness to toilet because of depression, anxiety or anger, or being in a situation in which you are unable to reach a toilet. For example, a person with Alzheimer's disease may not think well enough to plan a timely trip to a restroom, or a person in a wheelchair may be blocked from getting to a toilet in time. Conditions such as these are often associated with age and account for some of the incontinence of elderly women and men in nursing homes. Hilary Basile is a writer for MyGuidesUSA.com http://www.myguidesusa.com
By Hilary Basile