Urinary Incontinence in Older Community-Dwelling Women
- 1 April 2007
- journal article
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Vol. 109 (4), 909-916
- https://doi.org/10.1097/01.aog.0000258277.01497.4b
Abstract
To examine the association between cognitive decline, physical function decline, and urinary incontinence in older community-dwelling women. This was an observational study of 6,361 community-dwelling women aged 65 years and older participating in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Clinical frequency and functional disruptiveness of incontinence were assessed by self-report questionnaires. Cognitive function was assessed at visits using the modified Mini-Mental State Examination, Trails B test, and Digit Symbol Substitution Test. Physical function was assessed by measuring walking speed over a 6-meter course and time needed to complete five chair stands. Women were considered to have recent, significant decline in cognitive or physical function if their cognitive or physical performance declined by greater than 1 standard deviation beyond the mean decline in the 6 years preceding assessment of incontinence. Women with recent physical function decline were more likely to report weekly incontinence (odds ratio [OR] 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.56 for walking speed decline; OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.19-1.64 for chair stand decline), after adjusting for multiple characteristics. Women with recent cognitive decline were more likely to report incontinence that interfered with activities (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.10-2.17 for modified Mini-Mental State Examination decline; OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.01-2.31 for Digit Symbol Substitution Test decline), after adjusting for multiple characteristics. Both cognitive and physical function decline are likely important contributors to incontinence in community-dwelling women aged 65 years and older. Although cognitive decline may not be associated with greater frequency of incontinence, women with cognitive decline may have more difficulty coping with incontinence symptoms. II.This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- Implementing Diagnostic Criteria and Estimating Frequency of Mild Cognitive Impairment in an Urban CommunityArchives of Neurology, 2005
- Risk factors for the development of fecal and urinary incontinence in Wisconsin nursing home residentsMaturitas, 2005
- Prevalence of cognitive impairment: results from the MRC trial of assessment and management of older people in the communityAge and Ageing, 2005
- Association between Physical and Cognitive Function in Healthy Elderly: The Health, Aging and Body Composition StudyNeuroepidemiology, 2004
- Association of age, race, and obstetric history with urinary symptoms among women in the Nurses' Health StudyAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2003
- Variation in Estimates of Urinary Incontinence Prevalence in the Community: Effects of Differences in Definition, Population Characteristics, and Study TypeJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1998
- The influence of dementia on the prevalence of urinary and faecal incontinence in 85-year-old men and womenArchives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 1994
- Incontinence Among Elderly Community‐Dwelling Dementia PatientsJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1990
- Prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease in a Community Population of Older PersonsJAMA, 1989
- Incontinence Among Nursing Home Patients: Clinical and Functional CorrelatesJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1987