Despite the numerous movies and books that make light of the subject, bladder incontinence - the inability to prevent urine or fecal matter from leaking out without control - is no laughing matter.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics estimates that incontinence costs close to $20 billion each year, a sum it terms “a significant financial burden to the individual and society.”

That breaks down to a total of $14.2 billion by community residents and $5.3 billion by institutionalized patients. A major part of the costs (estimated as much as 75 percent) are attributed to management materials, like absorbent pads and laundry. Fecal incontinence costs were estimated at $4,110 per person in those who had the condition for more than a year, according to the CDC.

Incontinence affects mostly older Americans, although some younger patients suffer from it as well. How old you are when you first start leaking is usually an indication of which type of incontinence you will get -- bowel or urinary incontinence.

Whether it’s “number one” or “number two,” both stem from the same causes which include stroke, diabetes, cognition problems or mobility issues. There’s also age-related changes in the urinary tract, cancer, and infections. For the young, causes can include issues with chronic diarrhea, dehydration, or chronic constipation.

Obviously, it’s a problem that causes great embarrassment to the sufferer, namely because it’s fairly obvious.