Which type of medication may cause acute urinary incontinence?

Which type of medication may cause acute urinary incontinence?

• A. Corticosteroids
• B. Antibiotics
• C. Growth factors
• D. Diuretics

Answer: (D)

Medications that increase urine production can lead to acute urinary incontinence by causing the bladder to fill rapidly and trigger a sudden urge to void. Diuretics do exactly this: they promote excretion of water and electrolytes, increasing urine volume. When the bladder becomes overfilled or mobility or access to a bathroom is limited, a involuntary detrusor contraction can occur, resulting in leakage. This is usually experienced as urge-type incontinence, where the person feels a strong need to urinate and may not make it to the toilet in time. Other listed drug classes don’t typically provoke this sudden leakage pattern: corticosteroids can affect fluid balance but aren’t a direct cause of acute incontinence; antibiotics and growth factors aren’t known to produce this effect. So, diuretics are the medication class most likely to cause acute urinary incontinence.

Medications that increase urine production can lead to acute urinary incontinence by causing the bladder to fill rapidly and trigger a sudden urge to void. Diuretics do exactly this: they promote excretion of water and electrolytes, increasing urine volume. When the bladder becomes overfilled or mobility or access to a bathroom is limited, a involuntary detrusor contraction can occur, resulting in leakage. This is usually experienced as urge-type incontinence, where the person feels a strong need to urinate and may not make it to the toilet in time. Other listed drug classes don’t typically provoke this sudden leakage pattern: corticosteroids can affect fluid balance but aren’t a direct cause of acute incontinence; antibiotics and growth factors aren’t known to produce this effect. So, diuretics are the medication class most likely to cause acute urinary incontinence.