Urinary incontinence in neurological disease: assessment and management
Urinary incontinence in neurological disease: assessment and management - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
This guideline covers assessing and managing urinary incontinence in children, young people and adults with neurological disease. It aims to improve care by recommending specific treatments based on what symptoms and neurological conditions people have.
The lower urinary tract consists of the urinary bladder and the urethra. Its function is to store and expel urine in a coordinated and controlled manner. The central and peripheral nervous systems regulate this activity. Urinary symptoms can arise due to neurological disease in the brain, the suprasacral spinal cord, the sacral spinal cord or the peripheral nervous system. Damage within each of these areas tends to produce characteristic patterns of bladder and sphincter dysfunction.
The nature of the damage to the nervous system is also important.