Below you will find news and press releases from industry, government, and academia regarding product developments and medical/scientific research news.
Women Have Many Treatment Options for Urinary Incontinence
Roughly half of adult women may experience urinary incontinence, but few of them get diagnosed and treated despite a wide range of options to address the problem, doctors say. Women are particularly prone to stress urinary incontinence, when the pelvic floor muscles are too weak to support the bladder. As a result, urine leaks during coughing, sneezing or exercise. Childbirth is a common reason for weak pelvic muscles, and obesity worsens the problem. Urge incontinence, in contrast, doesn’t have a clear cause, although it can sometimes happen due to neurological problems, the authors note. Some women may get both types of incontinence at once or develop bladder problems due to a urinary tract infection. Read more.
Source: Reuters, October 24, 2017
Trouble Urinating? New Technique Can Help Men with Enlarged Prostate (BPH)
Men: As you age, there’s a good chance you may get up several times a night to empty your bladder. The problem is that your bladder doesn’t empty completely. No matter how hard to you try, you can only deliver a trickle before returning to bed. In a few hours, you are up again. The process repeats itself all night. For many men, this frustrating scenario is the result of an enlarged prostate that is squeezing the urethra, which prevents the bladder from emptying completely. When the problem is caused by a noncancerous condition, it’s called benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Until recently, the only way to free the urethra and restore urine flow was to have a physician cut or vaporize the prostate. But this surgery can leave men with a degree of incontinence or impotence. A new alternative that uses steam holds promise in treating BPH. Researchers developed an entirely new approach to treating BPH by using steam to kill prostate cells and shrink the prostate. The outpatient procedure is performed in about five minutes using a local anesthetic. Most men see improved urine flow in three to six weeks and dramatic improvement in three months. Read more.
Source: Cleveland Clinic, October 20, 2017
New Report Indicates No Evidence AHT Pelvic Exercise Works
Abdominal hypopressive technique (AHT), an exercise method widely touted for 20 years as a way of controlling bladder leakage and pelvic organ prolapse, doesn’t work, according to a new report. AHT is a breathing exercise developed in the 1980s by Belgian physiotherapist Marcel Caufriez. Highly popular, it is taught by more than 1500 practitioners in 14 countries, including in Australia. But a report published last week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine finds no scientific evidence to support the claimed benefits of AHT. Authors Kari Bo, of the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, in Oslo, and Saul Martín-Rodríguez, of the College of Physical Education, in Las Palmas, Spain, acknowledge the “worldwide huge interest” in AHT but say it “lacks scientific evidence to support its benefits. At this stage, AHT is based on a theory with 20 years of clinical practice.” Read more.
Source: Cosmos Magazine, October 18, 2017
Lib Dems call for Incontinence Prevention Training in Scotland
Midwives, health visitors and other health professionals should get specific training on incontinence prevention, as part of a new nationwide continence strategy in Scotland, according to the Liberal Democrats. Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton, MPS for Edinburgh Western, said it was time to tackle taboos around the subject that can prevent sufferers seeking treatment. In a motion put to the Scottish parliament, he suggested a national continence strategy could help improve the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Read more.
Source: Nursing Times, October 13, 2017
Certain Systemic Sclerosis Patients at Higher Risk of Urinary Incontinence
Urinary symptoms are frequent in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), especially in patients with limited cutaneous SSc, which have a 2.2 times higher risk of developing urinary symptoms than other SSc patients, and in patients who are positive for anti-centromere antibodies, who have a 2.8 times increased risk. Findings from the European multicenter study, “The limited cutaneous form of systemic sclerosis is associated with urinary incontinence: an international multicentre study,” appeared in a recent issue of the journal Rheumatology. The study (NCT01971294) enrolled a total of 334 patients diagnosed with systemic sclerosis from five centers in France, Italy, and Switzerland. All patients responded to questionnaires to assess urinary incontinence and its impact on their quality of life. Read more.
Source: Scleroderma News, October 10, 2017
Study Highlights Association of Obesity with Fecal Incontinence in Spina Bifida Patients
In the November 2017 issue of Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, Dr. Charlène Brochard and her colleagues from a spina bifida referral center in Rennes, France, report on the frequency of intestinal problems in 26- to 45-year-old patients with spina bifida. The multidisciplinary study included clinical data obtained over a 9-year period on nearly 400 spina bifida patients, emphasizing the association of obesity with fecal incontinence and bowel dysfunction. Read more.
Source: News-Medical. net, October 9, 2017
Continence NZ Marks 25 Years of Providing Support
Continence NZ is marking 25 years of providing support to the more than 1.1 million New Zealanders who live with bladder and bowel incontinence, by reminding affected Kiwis they don’t have to be embarrassed or suffer in silence. September 24-October 1 is Continence NZ’s Awareness Week. Incredibly, bladder and/or bowel control problems affect more than 1.1 million New Zealanders over the age of 15, including 25 percent of younger women, 34 percent of older women and 22 percent of older men. The impact on the physical and emotional health of people with incontinence issues can be significant and devastating, and is sadly often underestimated. Living with incontinence can feel humiliating, but Continence NZ is here to help. Read more.
Source: Scoop, September 29, 2017