Incontinence is always pathological

Incontinence is not only unpleasant, it is always a sign of disease. What causes the disease or what incontinence is based, may be very different. Therefore, more accurate medical examination is required. Only if the cause is clear enough, a specific treatment can be performed.


Women are more frequently affected than men.
Following a proposal from the International Continence Society (ICS), the following forms of incontinence and their common causes are distinguished:

     Stress or stress incontinence: sphincter weakness
     Urge or urge incontinence
     - Motor urge incontinence: bladder muscle instability (Detrusorschwäche)
     - Sensory urge incontinence: bladder disease, bladder neck instability
     reflex incontinence
     - Spinal Reflex Incontinence: spinal cord diseases, spinal cord injuries
     - Supraspinal Reflex Incontinence: brain disorders
     Overflow incontinence
     - Obstructive Overflow incontinence: bladder outlet obstruction
     - Functional Overflow incontinence: loss of function of the bladder muscle
     Extraurethrale incontinence: Harnfistel, Ureterdystropie, bladder abnormalities