Check Urinary Incontinence

Check Urinary Incontinence

3 Questions Check Urinary Incontinence

Women's Quiz Covers Type of Urinary Incontinence

May 15, 2006 -- Researchers have designed a three-question quiz to help diagnose urinary incontinence in women.

The quiz covers two types of urinary incontinence: stressincontinence and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is urine leakage during laughing, coughing, sneezing, or other movements. Urge incontinence (also known as overactive bladder) is urine leakage while feeling a sudden need or urge to urinate.

The quiz is "a simple, quick, and noninvasive test with acceptable accuracy for classifying urge and stress incontinence and may be appropriate for use in primary care settings," write Jeanette Brown, MD, and colleagues in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Brown works at the University of California, San Francisco.

What's on the Quiz?

Here are the quiz questions.

• During the last three months, have you leaked urine (even a small amount)? If no, end quiz.
• During the last three months, did you leak urine (check all that apply):
  1. When you were performing some physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, lifting, or exercise?
  2. When you had the urge or the feeling that you needed to empty your bladder, but you could not get to the toilet fast enough?
  3. Without physical activity and without a sense of urgency?
• During the last three months, did you leak urine most often (check only one):
  1. When you were performing some physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, lifting, or exercise?
  2. When you had the urge or the feeling that you needed to empty your bladder, but you could not get to the toilet fast enough?
  3. Without physical activity and without a sense of urgency?
  4. About equally as often with physical activity as with a sense of urgency?

What It Means

The patient's type of urinary incontinence is defined by the third question on the quiz. Here is the answer sheet:

1. Most often with physical activity: stress-only or stress-predominant urinary incontinence.
2. Most often with the urge to empty the bladder: urge-only or urge-predominant urinary incontinence.
3. Without physical activity or sense of urgency: incontinence due to other causes.
4. About equally with physical activity and sense of urgency: a mix of incontinence types.