Stress urinary incontinence: management in primary care

Introduction Risk factors Assessing the patient Examination Investigations Management Introduction ‘Stress’ urinary incontinence is the involuntary small volume leakage of urine on effort, exertion, sneezing or coughing.1 When co-existing with ‘urge’ symptoms it is called ‘mixed’ urinary incontinence. Fifty percent of incontinent women have pure stress incontinence,2 and it is the most common subtype in men who have had prostate surgery.3 Risk factors AGE: The prevalence of urinary incontinence in women increases with age, but stress incontinence is more prevalent in 45-69 year olds.2 This may be due to pure stress incontinence declining with age, whilst mixed and urge incontinence