Background, Etiology, and Subtypes of Urinary Incontinence.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is the involuntary loss of urine. UI is a prevalent condition that affects people of all ages, becoming more common with older age, and which negatively affects the lives of millions of people. Although the pathophysiology behind UI is still being researched, we review here the basic neuromuscular system regulating urinary control and several other potential factors influencing the lower urinary tract dysfunction that contributes to UI including the urobiome and genetic variants. The specific subtypes, risk factors and findings associated with UI are reviewed.