Advances in the Treatment of Stress Urinary Incontinence: Bulking Therapy

摘要

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the most common form of urinary incontinence and is estimated to affect more than 13 million community-dwelling adult women in the United States.1,2 Although staggering, this figure is thought to substantially underestimate the true prevalence of SUI because up to 70% of women with incontinence do not report the condition to their physician because of embarrassment or lack of knowledge about treatment options and their efficacy, or because they are under the misconception that incontinence is transitory and/or an inevitable consequence of aging or childbirth, or both. Thus, many women treat their symptoms in private, withdrawing from society, restricting activities, experiencing a decreased quality of life along with an increase in depression and anxiety, years before seeking medical help.3–8 As the population continues to age and increasing numbers of patients and clinicians become more familiar with and more comfortable reporting and discussing SUI, it is anticipated that efforts to educate the public about the condition will grow and treatment options will continue to evolve, becoming more available, less invasive, and more efficacious.