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Many women experience involuntary loss of urine called urinary incontinence. There are several types of urinary incontinence that can affect women causing accidental leakage of urine.

Stress Incontinence

This type of incontinence is the most common among younger and middle-aged women. Sometimes, the condition may begin around the time of menopause and incidence of the condition increases after menopause. Most cases of stress incontinence can be successfully treated.

Stress incontinence happens when urine leaks as pressure is exerted on the bladder. Leakage of urine may occur during coughing, laughing, sneezing, exercise, or lifting heavy objects.

Urge Incontinence

Urge incontinence happens when a person experiences sudden need to urinate but is not able to hold her urine long enough to get to the toilet in time. One common cause of urge incontinence is inappropriate bladder contractions or bladder spasms. These abnormal bladder contractions may be due to abnormal nerve signals to the bladder.

Abnormal bladder nerve signals can be caused by damage to the nerves of the bladder, to the brain or spinal cord, or to the muscles themselves. It is often, but not only, a problem for people who have diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke.

Overactive Bladder

This is a urinary incontinence type wherein abnormal nerves send signals to the bladder at the wrong time, causing the bladder muscles to squeeze without warning. Many women urinate normally up to seven times a day. However, women with overactive bladder may find that they must urinate even more often.

Functional Incontinence

Functional incontinence is more common in the older population. They have normal bladder control; however, they may have a problem getting to the toilet in time because of an underlying condition.

This is more common in people who have medical problems that can interfere with moving, thinking, or communicating. Examples include Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and arthritis.

Overflow Incontinence

Overflow incontinence happens when the bladder doesn’t empty properly, causing it to spill over. The condition rarely occurs in women. Weak bladder muscles or a blocked urethra can cause this type of incontinence.

Sources:
Urinary Incontinence in Women (October 2007). Retrieved on March 29, 2010, from http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/uiwomen/.

Age Page: Urinary Incontinence (June 2008). Retrieved on March 29, 2010, from http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/urinary.htm.

Page Last Revised: November 22, 2010

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Renal tubular acidosis, otherwise known as RTA, is a condition that occurs when your blood becomes too acidic because of kidney abnormality. Because of failure of the kidneys to excrete it out of the body, acids build up in the blood, which can lead to growth retardation, kidney stones, bone disease, chronic kidney disease, and possibly total kidney failure.

One of the main functions of your kidneys is to maintain normal levels of acids and bases in your body (acid-base or pH balance). You normally produce acids from chemical reactions that occur when your body is turning food into energy and repairing body tissues. A little acid in your blood is normal. However, too much of this can lead to acidosis, which can affect many of your bodily functions.

A base or alkaline such as bicarbonate can be reabsorbed by your kidneys to help neutralize this acid in the blood. Sometimes, however, something goes wrong and kidney structures are not able to reabsorb bicarbonate. Thus, acid is not neutralized in the blood causing acidosis.

Symptoms of RTA

Depending on the type, cause and structure of the kidneys affected, symptoms of renal tubular acidosis may include:

 Fatigue

 Bone disease such as rickets or osteomalacia

 Impairment of growth

 Kidney stones

 Extreme weakness

 Muscle pain or cramping

 Irregular heartbeat

Sometimes, renal tubular acidosis can lead to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and, possibly, kidney failure if not treated promptly.

Causes of RTA

Causes of renal tubular acidosis may include:

 Inherited diseases, such as cystinosis, hereditary fructose intolerance and Wilson’s disease

 Autoimmune diseases, such as Sjögren’s syndrome and lupus

 Certain drugs like acetazolamide or outdated tetracycline

Some diseases and conditions are associated with RTA including sickle cell anemia, hyperparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, chronic active hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, a hereditary form of deafness, analgesic nephropathy, rejection of a transplanted kidney, renal medullary cystic disease, obstructive uropathy, and chronic urinary tract infections.

In any case, the main goal of treatment is restoring balance of acids and bases in the blood. However, different treatment options may be needed to treat the different underlying causes of renal tubular acidosis.

Source: Renal Tubular Acidosis (October 2008). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). NIH Publication No. 09–4696

Page Last Revised: December 7, 2010

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