Urinary Incontinence Differential Diagnoses
- Author: Sandip P Vasavada, MD; Chief Editor: Edward David Kim, MD, FACS more...
Diagnostic Considerations
The differential diagnoses of urinary incontinence are broad, with multiple causes. Sometimes, more than one contributing factor exists, further complicating diagnosis and therapy. Distinguishing these different etiologies is imperative because each condition warrants a different, but often overlapping, therapeutic approach.
Differential Diagnoses
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Prostatitis
- Spinal Cord Neoplasms
- Spinal Cord Trauma and Related Diseases
- Spinal Epidural Abscess
- Urinary Obstruction
- Urinary Tract Infection in Females
- Urinary Tract Infection in Males
- Uterine Prolapse in Emergency Medicine
- Vaginitis in Emergency Medicine
Abrams P, Cardozo L, Fall M, Griffiths D, Rosier P, Ulmsten U, et al. The standardisation of terminology of lower urinary tract function: report from the Standardisation Sub-committee of the International Continence Society. Neurourol Urodyn. 2002;21(2):167-78. [Medline].
Nazir T, Khan Z, Barber HR. Urinary incontinence. Clin Obstet Gynecol. Dec 1996;39(4):906-11. [Medline].
Chutka DS, Fleming KC, Evans MP, Evans JM, Andrews KL. Urinary incontinence in the elderly population. Mayo Clin Proc. Jan 1996;71(1):93-101. [Medline].
Gibbs CF, Johnson TM 2nd, Ouslander JG. Office management of geriatric urinary incontinence. Am J Med. Mar 2007;120(3):211-20. [Medline].
[Guideline] Rogers RG. Clinical practice. Urinary stress incontinence in women. N Engl J Med. Mar 6 2008;358(10):1029-36. [Medline].
[Guideline] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Urinary incontinence in women. Obstet Gynecol. Jun 2005;105(6):1533-45. [Medline].
McFall S, Yerkes AM, Bernard M, LeRud T. Evaluation and treatment of urinary incontinence. Report of a physician survey. Arch Fam Med. Mar-Apr 1997;6(2):114-9. [Medline].
Wallner LP, Porten S, Meenan RT, O'Keefe Rosetti MC, Calhoun EA, Sarma AV, et al. Prevalence and severity of undiagnosed urinary incontinence in women. Am J Med. Nov 2009;122(11):1037-42. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Kelleher CJ, Cardozo LD, Khullar V, Salvatore S. A new questionnaire to assess the quality of life of urinary incontinent women. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. Dec 1997;104(12):1374-9. [Medline].
Abrams P, Cardozo L, Khoury S, et al, Eds. Incontinence. 4th ed. Paris, France: Health Publication Ltd; 2009:Chapter 5B.
Delancey JO, Ashton-Miller JA. Pathophysiology of adult urinary incontinence. Gastroenterology. Jan 2004;126(1 Suppl 1):S23-32. [Medline].
Dietz HP, Wilson PD. Anatomical assessment of the bladder outlet and proximal urethra using ultrasound and videocystourethrography. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 1998;9(6):365-9. [Medline].
Chaikin DC, Groutz A, Blaivas JG. Predicting the need for anti-incontinence surgery in continent women undergoing repair of severe urogenital prolapse. J Urol. Feb 2000;163(2):531-4. [Medline].
Mills IW, Greenland JE, McMurray G, McCoy R, Ho KM, Noble JG, et al. Studies of the pathophysiology of idiopathic detrusor instability: the physiological properties of the detrusor smooth muscle and its pattern of innervation. J Urol. Feb 2000;163(2):646-51. [Medline].
Wein AJ, Rackley RR. Overactive bladder: a better understanding of pathophysiology, diagnosis and management. J Urol. Mar 2006;175(3 Pt 2):S5-10. [Medline].
Kinder RB, Mundy AR. Pathophysiology of idiopathic detrusor instability and detrusor hyper-reflexia. An in vitro study of human detrusor muscle. Br J Urol. Dec 1987;60(6):509-15. [Medline].
Cukier JM, Cortina-Borja M, Brading AF. A case-control study to examine any association between idiopathic detrusor instability and gastrointestinal tract disorder, and between irritable bowel syndrome and urinary tract disorder. Br J Urol. Jun 1997;79(6):865-78. [Medline].
Tse V, Wills E, Szonyi G, Khadra MH. The application of ultrastructural studies in the diagnosis of bladder dysfunction in a clinical setting. J Urol. Feb 2000;163(2):535-9. [Medline].
Elbadawi A, Yalla SV, Resnick NM. Structural basis of geriatric voiding dysfunction. III. Detrusor overactivity. J Urol. Nov 1993;150(5 Pt 2):1668-80. [Medline].
Medina JJ, Parra RO, Moore RG. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (the aging prostate). Med Clin North Am. Sep 1999;83(5):1213-29. [Medline].
Litwiller SE, Frohman EM, Zimmern PE. Multiple sclerosis and the urologist. J Urol. Mar 1999;161(3):743-57. [Medline].
Patel AK, Chapple CR. Urodynamics in the management of female stress incontinence--which test and when?. Curr Opin Urol. Jul 2008;18(4):359-64. [Medline].
Petros PE, Woodman PJ. The Integral Theory of continence. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. Jan 2008;19(1):35-40. [Medline].
Crankson SJ, Ahmed S. Female bladder exstrophy. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 1997;8(2):98-104. [Medline].
Wojcik LJ, Kaplan GW. The wet child. Urol Clin North Am. Nov 1998;25(4):735-44, xi. [Medline].
Steele AC, Kohli N, Mallipeddi P, Karram M. Pharmacologic causes of female incontinence. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 1999;10(2):106-10. [Medline].
Morgan JL, O'Connell HE, McGuire EJ. Is intrinsic sphincter deficiency a complication of simple hysterectomy?. J Urol. Sep 2000;164(3 Pt 1):767-9. [Medline].
Wilson MM. Urinary incontinence: selected current concepts. Med Clin North Am. Sep 2006;90(5):825-36. [Medline].
Cummings JM, Rodning CB. Urinary stress incontinence among obese women: review of pathophysiology therapy. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2000;11(1):41-4. [Medline].
Sustersic O, Kralj B. The influence of obesity, constitution and physical work on the phenomenon of urinary incontinence in women. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 1998;9(3):140-4. [Medline].
Curtis LA, Dolan TS, Cespedes RD. Acute urinary retention and urinary incontinence. Emerg Med Clin North Am. Aug 2001;19(3):591-619. [Medline].
Erdem N, Chu FM. Management of overactive bladder and urge urinary incontinence in the elderly patient. Am J Med. Mar 2006;119(3 Suppl 1):29-36. [Medline].
Nygaard I, Barber MD, Burgio KL, Kenton K, Meikle S, Schaffer J, et al. Prevalence of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders in US women. JAMA. Sep 17 2008;300(11):1311-6. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Fultz NH, Herzog AR, Raghunathan TE, Wallace RB, Diokno AC. Prevalence and severity of urinary incontinence in older African American and Caucasian women. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. Jun 1999;54(6):M299-303. [Medline].
Anger JT, Saigal CS, Litwin MS. The prevalence of urinary incontinence among community dwelling adult women: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Urol. Feb 2006;175(2):601-4. [Medline].
Freeman EW, Grisso JA, Berlin J, Sammel M, Garcia-Espana B, Hollander L. Symptom reports from a cohort of African American and white women in the late reproductive years. Menopause. Jan-Feb 2001;8(1):33-42. [Medline].
Howard D, Delancey JO, Tunn R, Ashton-Miller JA. Racial differences in the structure and function of the stress urinary continence mechanism. Obstet Gynecol. May 2000;95(5):713-7. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Sears CL, Wright J, O'Brien J, Jezior JR, Hernandez SL, Albright TS, et al. The racial distribution of female pelvic floor disorders in an equal access health care system. J Urol. Jan 2009;181(1):187-92. [Medline].
Daneshgari F, Imrey PB, Risendal B, Dwyer A, Barber MD, Byers T. Differences in urinary incontinence between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women: a population-based study. BJU Int. Mar 2008;101(5):575-9. [Medline].
Castillo PA, Espaillat-Rijo LM, Davila GW. Outcome measures and definition of cure in female stress urinary incontinence surgery: a survey of recent publications. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. Mar 2010;21(3):343-8. [Medline].
Foley AL, Loharuka S, Barrett JA, et al. Association between the Geriatric Giants of urinary incontinence and falls in older people using data from the Leicestershire MRC Incontinence Study. Age Ageing. Jan 2012;41(1):35-40. [Medline].
Nygaard I, Holcomb R. Reproducibility of the seven-day voiding diary in women with stress urinary incontinence. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 2000;11(1):15-7. [Medline].
Dupont MC, Albo ME, Raz S. Diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence. An overview. Urol Clin North Am. Aug 1996;23(3):407-15. [Medline].
Fedorkow DM, Sand PK, Retzky SS, Johnson DC. The cotton swab test. Receiver-operating characteristic curves. J Reprod Med. Jan 1995;40(1):42-6. [Medline].
Miller JM, Ashton-Miller JA, Delancey JO. Quantification of cough-related urine loss using the paper towel test. Obstet Gynecol. May 1998;91(5 Pt 1):705-9. [Medline].
Swift SE, Yoon EA. Test-retest reliability of the cough stress test in the evaluation of urinary incontinence. Obstet Gynecol. Jul 1999;94(1):99-102. [Medline].
Summitt RL Jr, Stovall TG, Bent AE, Ostergard DR. Urinary incontinence: correlation of history and brief office evaluation with multichannel urodynamic testing. Am J Obstet Gynecol. Jun 1992;166(6 Pt 1):1835-40; discussion 1840-4. [Medline].
Jensen JK, Nielsen FR Jr, Ostergard DR. The role of patient history in the diagnosis of urinary incontinence. Obstet Gynecol. May 1994;83(5 Pt 2):904-10. [Medline].
Duthie J, Wilson DI, Herbison GP, Wilson D. Botulinum toxin injections for adults with overactive bladder syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Jul 18 2007;CD005493. [Medline].
Petros PE. New ambulatory surgical methods using an anatomical classification of urinary dysfunction improve stress, urge and abnormal emptying. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 1997;8(5):270-7. [Medline].
Moore KN, Schieman S, Ackerman T, Dzus HY, Metcalfe JB, Voaklander DC. Assessing comfort, safety, and patient satisfaction with three commonly used penile compression devices. Urology. Jan 2004;63(1):150-4. [Medline].
Lee DI, Wedmid A, Mendoza P, et al. Bladder Neck Plication Stitch: A Novel Technique During Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy to Improve Recovery of Urinary Continence. J Endourol. Sep 23 2011;[Medline].
Saint S, Elmore JG, Sullivan SD, Emerson SS, Koepsell TD. The efficacy of silver alloy-coated urinary catheters in preventing urinary tract infection: a meta-analysis. Am J Med. Sep 1998;105(3):236-41. [Medline].
Schuessler B. What do we know about duloxetine's mode of action? Evidence from animals to humans. BJOG. May 2006;113 Suppl 1:5-9. [Medline].
Cardozo L, Drutz HP, Baygani SK, Bump RC. Pharmacological treatment of women awaiting surgery for stress urinary incontinence. Obstet Gynecol. Sep 2004;104(3):511-9. [Medline].
Duckett JR, Aggarwal I, Patil A. Duloxetine treatment for women awaiting continence surgery. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. Nov 2006;17(6):563-5.
Cardozo L, Lange R, Voss S, Beardsworth A, Manning M, Viktrup L, et al. Short- and long-term efficacy and safety of duloxetine in women with predominant stress urinary incontinence. Curr Med Res Opin. Feb 2010;26(2):253-61. [Medline].
Appell RA, Sand P, Dmochowski R, Anderson R, Zinner N, Lama D, et al. Prospective randomized controlled trial of extended-release oxybutynin chloride and tolterodine tartrate in the treatment of overactive bladder: results of the OBJECT Study. Mayo Clin Proc. Apr 2001;76(4):358-63. [Medline].
Steers W, Corcos J, Foote J. An investigation of dose titration with darifenacin, an M3-selective receptor antagonist. BJU Int. Mar 2005;95(4):580-6.
Serra DB, Affrime MB, Bedigian MP. QT and QTc interval with standard and supratherapeutic doses of darifenacin, a muscarinic M3 selective receptor antagonist for the treatment of overactive bladder. J Clin Pharmacol. Sep 2005;45(9):1038-47.
Fehrmann-Zumpe P, Karbe K, Blessman G. Using flavoxate as primary medication for patients suffering from urge symptomatology. Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct. 1999;10(2):91-5. [Medline].
Grady D, Brown JS, Vittinghoff E, Applegate W, Varner E, Snyder T. Postmenopausal hormones and incontinence: the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study. Obstet Gynecol. Jan 2001;97(1):116-20. [Medline].
Hendrix SL, Cochrane BB, Nygaard IE, Handa VL, Barnabei VM, Iglesia C, et al. Effects of estrogen with and without progestin on urinary incontinence. JAMA. Feb 23 2005;293(8):935-48. [Medline].
[Best Evidence] Cody JD, Richardson K, Moehrer B, Hextall A, Glazener CM. Oestrogen therapy for urinary incontinence in post-menopausal women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Oct 7 2009;CD001405. [Medline].
Herschorn S, Gajewski J, Ethans K, Corcos J, Carlson K, Bailly G, et al. Efficacy of botulinum toxin A injection for neurogenic detrusor overactivity and urinary incontinence: a randomized, double-blind trial. J Urol. Jun 2011;185(6):2229-35. [Medline].
Cruz F, Herschorn S, Aliotta P, Brin M, Thompson C, Lam W, et al. Efficacy and Safety of OnabotulinumtoxinA in Patients with Urinary Incontinence Due to Neurogenic Detrusor Overactivity: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Eur Urol. Jul 13 2011;[Medline].
Ginsberg D, et al. Phase 3 Efficacy and Safety Study of OnabotulinumtoxinA in Patients With Urinary Incontinence Due to Neurogenic Detrusor Overactivity. Presented at 107th Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association, Washington, DC. May, 2011.
Chancellor MB, de Groat WC. Intravesical capsaicin and resiniferatoxin therapy: spicing up the ways to treat the overactive bladder. J Urol. Jul 1999;162(1):3-11. [Medline].
Robson WL. Clinical practice. Evaluation and management of enuresis. N Engl J Med. Apr 2 2009;360(14):1429-36. [Medline].
American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists. Urinary incontinence in women. National Guideline Clearinghouse. Available at http://guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?doc_id=10931.
Goode PS, Burgio KL, Johnson TM 2nd, Clay OJ, Roth DL, Markland AD, et al. Behavioral therapy with or without biofeedback and pelvic floor electrical stimulation for persistent postprostatectomy incontinence: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. Jan 12 2011;305(2):151-9. [Medline].
Doganay M, Kilic S, Yilmaz N. Long-term effects of extracorporeal magnetic innervations in the treatment of women with urinary incontinence: results of 3-year follow-up. Arch Gynecol Obstet. Jul 2010;282(1):49-53. [Medline].
Burgio KL, Richter HE, Clements RH, Redden DT, Goode PS. Changes in urinary and fecal incontinence symptoms with weight loss surgery in morbidly obese women. Obstet Gynecol. Nov 2007;110(5):1034-40. [Medline].
[Best Evidence] Subak LL, Wing R, West DS, Franklin F, Vittinghoff E, Creasman JM, et al. Weight loss to treat urinary incontinence in overweight and obese women. N Engl J Med. Jan 29 2009;360(5):481-90. [Medline]. [Full Text].
Phelan S, Kanaya AM, Subak LL, et al. Weight Loss Prevents Urinary Incontinence in Women With Type 2 Diabetes: Results From the Look AHEAD Trial. J Urol. Jan 18 2012;[Medline].
Rehder P, Haab F, Cornu JN, Gozzi C, Bauer RM. Treatment of Postprostatectomy Male Urinary Incontinence With the Transobturator Retroluminal Repositioning Sling Suspension: 3-Year Follow-up. Eur Urol. Feb 25 2012;[Medline].
Morgan JL, O'Connell HE, McGuire EJ. Is intrinsic sphincter deficiency a complication of simple hysterectomy?. J Urol. Sep 2000;164(3 Pt 1):767-9. [Medline].

