Urinary Incontinence; Women's Health; Scientific American Presents; by Schmiedeskamp, Appell; 2 Page(s)

Millions of women suffer in silence from incontinence-yet experts say the vast majority of them can be helped with proper treatment. RODNEY A. APPELL, M.D., a specialist in urinary incontinence in women at the Cleveland Clinic and a member of the board of directors of the National Association for Continence, talks with MIA SCHMIEDESKAMP, special correspondent for SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN.

Q:How does urinary incontinence affect women? A:Women tend to be most susceptible to two types of urinary incontinence. The classic onset of one type, stress incontinence, is the loss of a little urine with a cough or a sneeze; as the condition progresses, any movement that increases pressure in the abdomen-such as bending over-may cause leakage. With socalled urge incontinence, on the other hand, sufferers feel a sudden, urgent need to urinate but can't make it to the bathroom in time. Rarer in women (but quite common in men) is overflow incontinence, in which the bladder empties only partially on demand; urine eventually accumulates in the bladder to the point of spilling out.