Urinary incontinence, the importance of breaking the taboo of an underestimated disorder

Estimates speak of 4 million women and 1.4 million men who, in Italy, suffer from urinary incontinence and represent about 8 percent of the population. Partial figures, which according to experts could even double. Because this disorder is still experienced today as a taboo that we prefer not to talk about. Also due to certain clichés that confuse and limit its importance. Precisely to dispel them and shed light on a phenomenon that concerns, in particular, the elderly population, the company Santex, specialized in personal management and care, launched “We are there“, a’social initiative aimed at giving dignity to the elderly themselves and to those who take care of them through the direct testimony of those who every day face the problems related to the third age, collected on the noicisiamo.santex.it platform

But urinary incontinence can occur at any stage in the life of women and men and for the most diverse reasons. To learn more about the extent of the phenomenon and understand what measures are in place on the prevention and management front, we spoke with Francesca Monese, Nurse Coordinator Santex.

Why is there so little talk about urinary incontinence?
“Incontinence is still a taboo. Although we are in 2022 it is difficult to talk about it both for women but even more so for men. For example, a large part of women do not go to buy specific products, aids dedicated to urinary incontinence, but chooses sanitary towels dedicated to the female cycle to deal with the initial urinary losses without knowing that, being completely different in structure from aids for incontinence, they do not solve the discomforts related to the disorder (absorbency, odor etc.). Furthermore, the belief that incontinence is a factor related to age or to an event such as childbirth leads to not considering it as a disorder to talk to your doctor about and to manage. Such a nuisance anyway it also affects the sexual and emotional life with the partner and with the people around him causing feelings of inadequacy and shame which, if not managed, can have significant psychological consequences. To this end, in addition to the advice of the general practitioner, there are also specialized centers with multidisciplinary teams that have programs aimed at diagnosing and treating problems related to incontinence ».

Who usually suffers from it?
“Everyone suffers from it, men, women, young people and adults. If the non-continence of the sphincter in children is considered normal, there are still conditions in which children and young people have problems with incontinence, even beyond the age of 3 “.

Is there an estimate of how many subjects there are in Italy?
“According to the estimates of the trade associations, about 8% of the population in Italy suffers
of incontinence. 4 million are women and 1.4 million are men. However, it’s all about numbers
underestimated as a problem is certainly much broader. It is thought that the “submerged” or the number of people who do not speak of this disorder, is even greater than the declared number of incontinents. Especially in men there is no real evidence of incidence. Estimates presented at congress of urogynecology of 2017 indicate that the number of incontinent people could be double the known figure “.

At what age can the problem arise?
«A reference age cannot be identified because the onset depends on the triggering cause of the incontinence; this could be a pregnancy-related or postpartum event or other conditions. Speaking of women, the age group between 18 and 70 represents 12% of the total. However, this percentage increases in the over 70s for both men and women, an age still lived in a dynamic way and for which, the use of increasingly performing aids, designed specifically for their needs, accompanies these people in their daily life, with a performance suitable for a much more important ailment. Health care in Italy also intervenes to support management with the free distribution of aids and with training programs by health professionals with specific skills ».

Are there any triggers?
«The reasons that lead to incontinence can be linked to tumor pathologies, from
neurological, The situations in the course of physiological evolution which can favor its onset. In pregnancy, the weight of the fetus on the bladder, or the onset of injuries with childbirth, can cause episodes of urinary incontinence which can be transient or, depending on the type of injury, permanent. Also there menopause, due to the sudden reduction of estrogen, it favors the onset of incontinence.
Further causes are related to the lifestyle: obesity, smoking, high dose caffeine intake,
people with irregular bowel movements (for example, constipation can promote incontinence), ortaking medications with side effects leading to these ailments. In the classifications of incontinence we can say that there are age groups that are most represented:
– Young women: higher prevalence of stress incontinence (following lifting of
pesi etc.);
-Adult, mature women: higher prevalence of urge or mixed incontinence “.