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Urinary Incontinence Prevalent in Men

By Crystal Phend

SAN ANTONIO, TX -- June 1, 2005 -- Urinary incontinence affects at least 9% of men and they are less likely than women to seek treatment for the problem, researchers said here on May 23^rd at the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting.

"To our knowledge, this is the first nationwide comprehensive study of incontinence in men," said co-author Maria Victoria Cruz Estanol, MD, Urologist, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, United States.

Dr. Cruz Estanol and colleagues surveyed 21,590 head-of-household men aged 18 to 97 years. The men matched U.S. census demographics order to represent the national, cross-sectional incidence rate.

A total of 9.16% of men reported involuntarily leaking of urine in the previous 30 days. Urge urinary incontinence was the most common type reported (41% of the total). Stress urinary incontinence was the next most prevalent among those reporting incontinence (29%).

For women, the prevalence rate is much higher. Overall, 38% of adult women suffer from urinary incontinence, according to another study presented at the same press conference. Of these, 24% involuntarily leak urine daily or weekly, said lead author Jennifer Tash Anger, MD, Urological Fellow, Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States.

Men with prostate conditions were much more likely to have urinary incontinence (27%) than those without prostate conditions, Dr. Estanol said. Prevalence rates increased significantly with age.

Dr. Estanol noted that 38% of men with incontinence consulted a physician about the problem and about 45% of these men waited longer than 6 months to do so.

Previous studies have shown that about 42% of women with urinary incontinence seek treatment, said American Urological Association spokesperson Kristene Whitmore, MD, Urologist, Graduate Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Estanol's study, also presented in a poster session on May 21^st, was supported by Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim.


[Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence in Community Dwelling Men: a Cross Sectional Nationwide Epidemiologic Survey. Poster 13. The Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence Among Community-Dwelling Adults: Results From the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Poster 933]

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