World Continence Week is an annual event which aims to raise awareness about incontinence.

So we thought we would share some key facts with you

Urinary Incontinence (UI) is any involuntary leakage if urine
Faecal Incontinence (FI) is the involuntary loss of liquid or solid stool that is a social or hygienic problem. 1
Incontinence affects about 400 million people around the world. 2
It affects about 1 in 4 women over the age of 35
It affects about 1 in 10 adult men
Incontinence can be treated often cured, but always managed.

In past years conditions affecting the bladder and bowel have often been difficult to talk about and thus they have been underreported and under-diagnosed.

Indeed surveys have shown that less than 40% of persons with urinary incontinence mention their problem to a doctor or nurse and this figure is even higher for those with bowel incontinence. Often therefore these conditions have been inadequately treated and poorly addressed by medical professionals, despite the substantial impact on individual health, self-esteem and quality of life.

Because of this, World Continence Week seeks to draw attention to bowel incontinence and to give sufferers the confidence to seek help and improve their quality of life.

Do you know of any resources you know of you would like to share? If so please use the comments section below to share!