What Causes Loss of Urinary Control?

Although urinary incontinence is more prevalent in women than in men, 5 million men in the United States are affected. The causes of urinary incontinence include the following:

• Prostate problems?Difficulty and unpredictability in passing urine is a common occurrence in prostate abnormalities. The condition also can be the side effect of total removal of the prostate.
• Head and spinal cord injury?Damage to the head or spinal cord as a result of disease or trauma can cause loss of bladder control, because messages passing from the brain to the bladder are interrupted or lost.
• Disease?Neurologic diseases, both cancerous and benign, and degenerative diseases (eg, Parkinson's disease) are some the reasons for loss of urinary control.
• Medications?Drugs that have a sedating effect, especially in high doses, can cause incontinence.
• Mental state?Emotional distress and illness may lead to urinary incontinence.