There are currently 6.7 million Americans who suffer from urge or mixed incontinence and as many as 13 million who suffer from all types of incontinence. This does not include other symptoms of overactive bladder such as episodes of increased urgency to urinate and increased frequency of micturition. If this percentage stays constant, the number of cases will rise dramatically as the baby boomers age. Most of this money is spent on management measures, such as pads and diapers, rather than on treatment. Incontinence and the increased urgency and frequency of micturition associated with overactive bladder also have psycho-social effects on sufferers, seriously affecting their quality of life.
Problems range from shame and loss of self-esteem to depression and isolation.
Some sufferers refuse to leave familiar environments for fear of not being readily able to find a toilet, resulting in lost productivity and a diminished quality of life. They map out bathrooms along familiar routes and will not put themselves in situations where a hasty exit to a facility is not possible. This featured news release has been issued by a pharmaceutical, nutrition, or technology company. All featured news releases have been edited for exclusion of trademarks, registration marks, etc., stock exchange references, quotations by company personnel and background information about the company. The names of all drugs, nutritional products, technology, etc., have also been standardized.