The American Journal of Medicine
Volume 122, Issue 11 , Pages 1037-1042 , November 2009

Prevalence and Severity of Undiagnosed Urinary Incontinence in Women

  • Lauren P. Wallner, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • ,
  • Sima Porten, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Urology, University of California at San Francisco, CA
    • ,
  • Richard T. Meenan, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Center for Health Research Kaiser Permanente Northwest Division, Portland, Ore
    • ,
  • Maureen C. O'Keefe Rosetti, MS

      Affiliations

    • Center for Health Research Kaiser Permanente Northwest Division, Portland, Ore
    • ,
  • Elizabeth A. Calhoun, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Health Policy Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago
    • ,
  • Aruna V. Sarma, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • ,
  • J. Quentin Clemens, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
    • Corresponding Author InformationRequests for reprints should be addressed to J. Quentin Clemens, MD, MS, Department of Urology, University of Michigan Medical Center, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Taubman Center 3875, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5330

References 

  1. Wilson L, Brown JS, Shin GP, et al. Annual direct cost of urinary incontinence. Obstet Gynecol. 2001;98:398–406
  2. Nygaard I, Thom DH, Calhoun E. Urinary incontinence in women. In:  Litwin MS,  Saigal CS editor. Urologic Diseases in America (US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 2007;p. 157–192
  3. Dugan E, Roberts CP, Cohen SJ, et al. Why older community-dwelling adults do not discuss urinary incontinence with their primary care physicians. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49:462–465
  4. Shaw C, Tansey R, Jackson C, et al. Barriers to help seeking in people with urinary symptoms. Fam Pract. 2001;18:48–52
  5. Kinchen KS, Burgio K, Diokno AC, et al. Factors associated with women's decisions to seek treatment for urinary incontinence. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2003;12:687–698
  6. Goldstein M, Hawthorne ME, Engeberg S, et al. Urinary incontinence (Why people do not seek help). J Gerontol Nurs. 1992;18:15–20
  7. Norton PA, MacDonald LD, Sedgwick PM, Stanton SL. Distress and delay associated with urinary incontinence, frequency, and urgency in women. BMJ. 1988;297(6657):1187–1189
  8. Anger JT, Saigal CS, Stothers L, et al. The prevalence of urinary incontinence among community dwelling men: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey. J Urol. 2006;176:2103–2108
  9. Swithinbank LV, Donovan JL, du Heaume JC, et al. Urinary symptoms and incontinence in women: relationships between occurrence, age, and perceived impact. Br J Gen Pract. 1999;49(448):897–900
  10. Moller LA, Lose G, Jorgensen T. The prevalence and bothersomeness of lower urinary tract symptoms in women 40-60 years of age. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2000;79:298–305
  11. Sampselle CM, Harlow SD, Skurnick J, et al. Urinary incontinence predictors and life impact in ethnically diverse perimenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol. 2002;100:1230–1238
  12. Hannestad YS, Rortveit G, Sandvik H, Hunskaar S. A community-based epidemiological survey of female urinary incontinence: the Norwegian EPINCONT study (Epidemiology of Incontinence in the County of Nord-Trondelag). J Clin Epidemiol. 2000;53:1150–1157
  13. Thom D. Variation in estimates of urinary incontinence prevalence in the community: effects of differences in definition, population characteristics, and study type. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998;46:473–480
  14. Holroyd-Leduc JM, Tannenbaum C, Thorpe KE, Straus SE. What type of urinary incontinence does this woman have?. JAMA. 2008;299:1446–1456
  15. Horrocks S, Somerset M, Stoddart H, Peters TJ. What prevents older people from seeking treatment for urinary incontinence? (A qualitative exploration of barriers to the use of community continence services). Fam Pract. 2004;21:689–696
  16. Swanson JG, Kaczorowski J, Skelly J, Finkelstein M. Urinary incontinence: common problem among women over 45. Can Fam Physician. 2005;51:84–85
  17. Thom DH, Nygaard IE, Calhoun EA. Urologic Diseases in American project: urinary incontinence in women—national trends in hospitalizations, office visits, treatment and economic impact. J Urol. 2005;173:1295–1301

 Funding: NIDDK UO1 DK060177.

 Conflict of Interest: Neither the primary author nor any of the corresponding authors have any conflicts of interest with the submission of this article.

 Authorship: All 7 authors of this manuscript have made a substantial contribution to writing the manuscript and had access to the data.

PII: S0002-9343(09)00585-3

doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.05.016

The American Journal of Medicine
Volume 122, Issue 11 , Pages 1037-1042 , November 2009

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