Urinary incontinence is a common symptom affecting the physical, psychologi
cal, social and economic well-being of individuals and their families. It a
lso poses a considerable economic burden on health and social services. The
literature reports widely varying prevalence rates for incontinence that a
re partially explained by methodological differences between studies. Howev
er, community-based studies indicate that approximately 6% of the populatio
n, particularly women and older people, will have urinary incontinence of s
ufficient severity to interfere with their quality of life. This represents
a significant demand for health care. Although further research on prevale
nce is unlikely to add anything new to current knowledge on the size of the
problem, more information is needed on the onset, progression and risk fac
tors of urinary incontinence to inform methods of effective treatment and p
reventive strategies. In addition, there has been little investigation of t
he triggers to seeking professional help or of the response of health profe
ssionals to patients' demands for treatment, either for incontinence or oth
er lower urinary tract symptoms.
The aetiology of incontinence is multifactorial; incontinence is caused by
pathophysiological impairments to the lower urinary tract and neurological
system, as well as a range of external factors. The key to effective manage
ment, therefore, is a comprehensive assessment of the patient, including ot
her lower urinary tract symptoms, so that appropriate intervention is tailo
red on a diagnosis and not on symptoms.