New Urinary Incontinence Treatment That Involves Taking Muscle From the Thigh
Muscle cells taken from patients’ own thighs could help reduce stress urinary incontinence according to a new study.
Most patients get help from exercises, behavioral training, and drug treatment; but many still leak often.
A new therapy takes muscle cells from the upper thigh and injects them into the sphincter muscle that controls urine flow. The idea is to stimulate growth of new sphincter muscle cells via growth signals sent by the injected cells.
The university of Toronto researcher Lesley K. Carr, and colleagues treated 29 women with one or two injections of thigh muscle cells at various doses.
All of the women were experiencing stress urinary incontinence that had not improved over a year of standard therapy.
Carr reported: ‘Overall, urinary leaks were reduced after both injections.’
12 months after the muscle-cell injections over three-fourths of the women said they had fewer stress leaks and less urinary urgency.
However, one woman had worse incontinence than she had before. Although they weren’t classed as “serious,” there was pain and bruising in the thigh, pain at the site of injection, and “mild and self-limiting urinary retention and urinary tract infection.”
Despite these issues, 86% of patients chose to have a second muscle cell injection three months after the first.
An American Urological Association spokesman, said the study confirmed the muscle-cell treatment to be safe and effective:
‘It is important to note that this therapy has few side effects and seems to improve symptoms for most patients in whom other therapies failed.’
Stress Urinary Incontinence Related to Genes
A study published this week in the American Journal of Human Genetics links pelvic floor disorders such as pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence to a certain region of the human genome.
The study was conducted by the University Of Utah School Of Medicine, study lead author Kristina Allen-Brady, Ph.D., and colleagues analyzed the DNA of 70 women from 32 different families with at least two cases of pelvic floor disorders and found significant evidence for a gene that predisposes to PFD on chromosome 9.
For a better understanding, the pelvic floor consists of the network of muscles, ligaments and connective tissues that keeps all pelvic organs in place. Pelvic floor disorders occur when these muscles and tissues are damaged or injured.
PFDs (Pelvic floor disorders ) are commonly related to numerous risk factors such as childbirth, advanced age, obesity but they don’t fully explain the development of these disorders.
This study researched the DNA from 70 women who received some kind of treatment, in most cases surgery, for pelvic organ prolapse. Genetic analysis of this DNA showed significant evidence that genes located in a region of the genome called chromosome 9 may be inherited together in related women who have POP.
Lead researcher Kristina Allen-Brady, Ph.D. said:
“This is the largest collection of families with POP that has been reported to date. Although it is premature to suggest that all PFDs have a common genetic predisposition, our study shows significant evidence that the chromosome 9q21 region may be linked to the development of PFD in families where multiple women are affected.”
The second phase of the study in progress and researchers are collecting DNA from other families to strengthen their conclusions.
Study Suggests Urinary Incontinence Could be Avoided
A major study has suggested that urinary incontinence is a common condition in older women but it may be preventable or treatable in a lot of cases.
In a ten-year follow up of nearly 7,000 generally healthy women over the age of 70, researchers from Newcastle University found that more than 1 in 4 reported urinary leakage as a problem some of the time or often.
However, they also found that while a further 15% of women developed urinary incontinence during almost ten years of follow up, symptoms also resolved in other women over time.
The findings also show that incontinence was associated with being overweight, dysuria and with falls.
But in contrast to other studies of incontinence in younger women, parity was not strongly associated with the development of incontinence among older women in their study.
Researchers from the Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing at the University of Newcastle, said
‘At these older ages, other gynaecological factors, including gynaecological surgery, appear to be stronger predictors of later continence problems.’
They added: ‘Strong associations between BMI, dysuria and constipation indicate key opportunities to prevent incontinence among older women.’
Visit Allanda for more help and advice about incontinence.
Pulse Generator Could Improve Bladder Control
An electrical device placed beneath the skin near the tailbone could be an alternative for those with urinary incontinence and overactive bladder.
The incontinence device is battery operated and can be described as a pulse generator that gives a continuous shock to the nerves that control the bladder.
The implant could be an alternative for those with urinary incontinence who run out of options with regards to treatments. There are few incontinence treatments that can claim to cure people with urinary incontinence and it is possible that implanted pulse generators will do just that.
But it is too early to establish this method as a reliable treatment for incontinence as results on the subject were considered of poor quality and difficult to assess.
On the subject, Dr. Edwin Arnold, at the department of urology at Christchurch Hospital, in New Zealand stated:
“For those who have tried all nonsurgical approaches – including bladder retraining, physiotherapy for the pelvic floor muscles and medications – yet the symptoms persist, it is worth discussing this option with your primary care doctor, who may refer you on to a urologist,”
And added:
“This treatment for incontinence is not for everyone and even if the operation is undertaken, it does not always work, so a patient’s expectations should remain realistic.”
TENA Incontinence Ads Get Real!
Continuing on from our last article about the brand new incontinence ads Tena and Kimberly-Clark have released, it is important to recognise why advertising for the condition has turned a corner.
Through raised awareness people are beginning to realise that it is not just the elderly who are suffering from incontinence.
Gary Evans, owner of XP Medical, which sells European-manufactured adult incontinence products, said past print ads addressing adult incontinence usually went around the issue by showing a stock image of a senior citizen or couple enjoying a walk outdoors, followed by a small incontinence product shot in the corner.
Evans said: ‘The time has finally come. It’s not a new problem. It’s not a new product. It’s not a new industry, but I do think this new advertising push is bringing (incontinence) out in the open.’
For women, incontinence usually results from childbirth, while men may suffer from it due to a decline in prostate health or surgery.
The consumer insights team at TENA found that up to 60% of men “don’t do anything about it,”.
Spence Deane, of SCA Personal Care North America said ‘There are products out there, but there is not enough information (or awareness of the problem).’
In addition to the campaigns, the adult incontinence product makers have introduced additional components that provide such information. TENA has teamed up with Men’s Health Network and Us Too International to raise awareness, and has a similar program for women called Core Wellness.
For Allanda’s full range of TENA incontinence products, please click here.
Britain's Homecare Scandal Revealed by TV Show
Last week BBC’s investigative TV show Panorama sadly revealed how the private Homecare services is becoming incompetent and downgrading in Britain.
In case you missed the TV show here is a short but none of the less shocking resume of what Panorama revealed.
Panorama sent two reporters undercover to work as Homecare “professionals” for 14 weeks in two of Britain’s biggest homecare suppliers. The two undercover reporters received custom designed four-day training course with Age Concern Training by BBC and while at work an emergency medical cover was on standby.
After the 14 weeks periods findings were shocking and unacceptable to a so called first world nation like Britain. People were left to sit on their own excrement for 24h, visits lasting five minutes, vital medication not given on time, folks that were left without a proper bath or shower for six months, people being poorly fed were some of the shocking facts revealed by Panorama.
When the two leading independent home care suppliers, which names we will not mention here, were faced with the evidence, a whole lot of cliché excuses were given by the companies involved, a statement was issued by one the of the companies saying that the company no longer exists and was taken over then changed its working methods. Yeah right!
We cannot allow the above to happen to our loved ones and thanks to Panorama for opening the eyes of authorities and the public towards such a serious matter.
“A civilization will be judged by how it treats its elderly”
Winston Churchill
Tena Launches New Incontinence Adverts
Companies Kimberly-Clark and its competitor TENA have decided to launch new incontinence ads to raise awareness for the condition.
The Kimberly-Clark ads that are being introduced this month, show men and women sharing their viewpoints on life. For instance, they’re asked to address questions like: ‘Who are better drivers, men or women?’ The main aim of these ads is to show that men and women are different, and so have different needs when it comes to adult incontinence products.
Ads from the parent company of TENA, which makes Serenity products in the U.S., take a more educational approach. One advert promotes TENA’s male guards with text that reads: ‘They made you wear a cup in junior high with a good reason . . . This triangular shape is now the basis for TENA incontinence protection just for men.’ The advert also states that ‘millions of men’ suffer from incontinence.
TENA has begun selling male and female lines of briefs, and is using the campaign to inform customers that its Serenity brand will now officially be known as TENA in the U.S.
Both campaigns are attempting to change the stigma behind adult incontinence, which affects around 25 million Americans.
Unlike current ads that are running, the new K-C and TENA ads speak openly of leakage and not of ‘having to run to the bathroom’ or having an ‘overactive bladder,’ said Rachel Levkowicz, health education manager at NAFC.
Allanda provides a full range of Tena incontinence products, please click here for more information.
Special Parking Permits for Carers in Barnet
The Borough of Barnet in North London continues to issue parking permits for Carers to park in controlled parking zones without being fined by wardens.
So far, more than 150 special parking permits have been issued to residents who require regular home visits from District Nurses, Doctors or similar healthcare professionals. The Barnet Care and Support Service (BCASS) said the decision to continue issuing free parking permits generates a peace of mind amongst its clients.
Sarah Williams, Assistant Care Manager for BCASS, said:
“Some of the clients that we come across never seem to have a problem, and they are happy in the knowledge they can get a Carer when they need one. It means our Carers can get there when they are called and don’t have to fit their visits around parking regulations.”
The council spokesman added:
“The parking permit provides peace of mind to those caring for residents by allowing them to park their vehicles within a short distance of the residents and permit only bays.”
To require a parking permit, residents must have a confirmation of needs from their GP, fill in an application form and live within a CPZ (controlled parking zone).
For more information on how to apply for a parking permit call 0208 359 7446 or visit http://www.barnet.gov.uk/index/transport-streets/parking/permits-vouchers-and-suspensions/carers-permits.htm
Possible Cure for Stress Urinary Incontinence
According to results of a study carried out on 642 women with stress urinary incontinence, a single-incision mid-urethral sling provides an improvement of the condition incontinence.
Lead investigator Douglas G. Tincello said:
‘Mid-urethral slings are effective for incontinence. However, some centres report rates of bladder injury of around 5% to 10%. The rate of bladder injury from single-incision slings is much lower.’
Most of the women had stress urinary incontinence, and the remainder had mixed incontinence with predominant symptoms of stress urinary incontinence.
The average time of surgery was 17 minutes, and 66.5% required local anesthesia with sedation only.
The women took about 2 weeks to return to work, and a around of 11 days to return to their social life.
Improvement in quality of life was observed at 3 months and was maintained at 12 months, Dr. Tincello revealed.
Most patients were happy with the outcome, however 11.3% were not, and 4.4% experienced no change.
Dr. Tincello explained: ‘The results from the registry to date are equivalent to the standard mid-urethral tapes in terms of cure at 12 months, quality-of-life improvement, and safety.’
Please visit the Allanda website for our full product range and more information on the condition incontinence.