Women With Urinary Incontinence At Increased Risk for Chronic Conditions

Chronic medical conditions are common in women with urinary incontinence, finds a new research published in BJU International. The study findings are important for new interventions in treatment and prevention

In an analysis of data from the 2005-06 to 2011-12 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys on 3,800 women with urinary incontinence, only 11% of women had no other chronic conditions.

‘Researchers at University of Alabama at Birmingham find link associated with chronic medical conditions and urinary incontinence in women.’

Four patterns of chronic conditions emerged with differences by urinary incontinence type and severity. Within three of the four clusters, the most prevalent chronic conditions linked with increased cardiovascular risk--such as hypertension and high cholesterol--were associated with increased urinary incontinence risk. Also, pulmonary disease--specifically asthma--affected all of the women in a single cluster.

"Our data provide new evidence of the relationship between chronic medical conditions and urinary incontinence burden in women. Specifically, identification of women with a low burden of incontinence and modifiable conditions--such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and asthma--may inform future prevention and treatment efforts," said lead author Dr. Alayne Markland, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.



Source: Eurekalert