An overactive bladder, also known as urge incontinence (UI), is the inability to control the flow of urine and is associated with feeling the need or urge to urinate. The two types of UI are stress incontinence which is triggered by activity (such as coughing) and urge incontinence which is a sudden and uncontrollable need to urinate (unrelated to activity). About 13 million Americans suffer from bladder control problems, and 11 million are women. Recent studies suggest that UI is more common among older men than previously thought. Now research reports that UI affects one in four older women and accounts for a significant increase in nursing home admissions, isolation, and stress.
The study, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, examined the prevalence of and risk factors for stress and urge incontinence in older women. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, analyzed the data of 1,588 white and black women aged 70-79 years. The women were Pittsburgh and Memphis, Tennessee residents and participants in the The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. The participants answered questionnaires about incontinence, medical problems, and demographic and reproductive characteristics. Medical evaluation revealed that 64% of the participants had arthritis, 55% had high blood pressure, and 20% had diabetes.
The researchers found that 21 percent of participants reported incontinence at least weekly, with 42 percent reporting urge incontinence and 40 percent reporting stress incontinence. About twice as many white women as black women reported incontinence. Findings also revealed that prevalent risk factors for both types of incontinence included white race, oral estrogen use, and arthritis. Urge incontinence was also linked with diabetes, depression and poor motor control. Stress incontinence was associated with obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity.
"Urinary incontinence is highly prevalent, even in well-functioning older women, whites in particular," the study authors conclude. "Many risk factors differ for stress and urge incontinence, suggesting differing etiologies and prevention strategies."
REFERENCES:
1. Jackson RA et al. Urinary incontinence in elderly women: findings from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study. Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Aug;104(2):301-7.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on January 15, 2007 01:15 PM
