Previous Stroke or TIA May Increase Risk for Urgency Urinary Incontinence

HealthDay News — Many factors, including vascular risk factors, may play a role in the development of urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) in older men and women, according to a study published online in the BJU International.

Alex Tsui, from King’s College Hospital in London, and colleagues analyzed data from 1762 participants from the Medical Research Council National Survey for Health and Development birth cohort who answered the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire short form (ICIQ-SF) at age 68 years.

The researchers found that UUI was reported by 12% of men and 19% of women at age 68 years. 

Independent risk factors for UUI included female sex, previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) diagnosis, increased body mass index (BMI), and hypertension (in men only) at age 60 to 64 years. The relative risk for more severe UUI symptoms was increased with female sex, increased BMI, and a previous diagnosis of stroke/TIA. The relationship between UUI and vascular risk factors in women was not affected by type and timing of menopause or hormone replacement therapy use.

“Multifactorial mechanisms lead to UUI, and vascular risk factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of bladder overactivity in addition to higher BMI,” the authors wrote.

Reference

Tsui A, Kuh D, Cardozo L, Davis D. Vascular risk factors for male and female urgency urinary incontinence at age 68 years from a British birth cohort study [published online March 7, 2018]. BJU Int. doi:10.1111/bju.14137