The prevalence of urinary incontinence in women in four European countries

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Abstract

To determine the prevalence, type and treatment behaviour of women with urinary incontinence in four European countries. Data were collected using a postal survey which was sent to 29,500 community-dwelling women aged > or = 18 years in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. Subjects were asked about the type of urinary incontinence they had experienced and their treatment behaviour. Of the women who responded, 35% reported involuntary loss of urine in the preceding 30 days; stress urinary incontinence was the most prevalent type. The lowest prevalence was in Spain (23%), while the prevalence was 44%, 41% and 42% for France, Germany and the UK, respectively. About a quarter of women with urinary incontinence in Spain (24%) and the UK (25%) had consulted a doctor about it; in France (33%) and Germany (40%) the percentages were higher. Overall, <5% of the women had ever undergone surgery for their condition. While pads were used by half of the women, there were some differences among the countries. Millions of women in Europe have urinary incontinence; the consultation and treatment rates were low in the European countries included in this study.

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Most cited references 25

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A community-based epidemiological survey of female urinary incontinence:

Yngvild S Hannestad, Guri Rortveit, Hogne Sandvik … (2000)

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Variation in estimates of urinary incontinence prevalence in the community: effects of differences in definition, population characteristics, and study type.

David H Thom (1998)

Prevalence estimates for urinary incontinence among community-dwelling adults vary from 2 to 55%. A review of the literature was undertaken to investigate the degree to which differences in definitions of incontinence, age, and gender of the populations studied, response rates, measurement techniques, or location could explain differences in reported prevalences. A literature search was conducted to locate all studies published in English reporting the prevalence of urinary incontinence in a population-based sample of adults. Information was abstracted for study size, response rate, type of survey, definition of urinary incontinence, and prevalence of incontinence by age group and gender. Prevalence by type of incontinence was also abstracted where available. Stratification was used to obtain prevalence estimates specific for age, gender, and frequency of incontinence. Data were examined for associations between prevalence and survey type, response rate, year, and location of survey. A total of 21 studies met inclusion criteria. Stratification of reported prevalence by frequency, gender, and age substantially reduced the variation in prevalence estimates. For older women, the estimated prevalence of urinary incontinence ranged from 17 to 55% (median = 35%, pooled mean = 34%), and for daily incontinence it ranged from 3 to 17% (median = 14%, pooled mean = 12%). For older men, incontinence prevalence was estimated to be 11 to 34% (median = 17%, pooled mean = 22%), and 2 to 11% reported daily incontinence (median = 4%, pooled mean = 5%). Within studies, the prevalence of any incontinence was 1.3 to 2.0 times greater for older women than for older men. Among middle-aged and younger adults, prevalence of incontinence ranged from 12 to 42% (median = 28%, pooled mean = 25%) for women and from 3 to 5% (median = 4%, pooled mean = 5%) for men. The ratio of prevalence of any incontinence for women to men in this age group ranged from 4.1 to 4.5. Stress incontinence predominated in younger women, whereas urge and mixed incontinence predominated in older women. There was a tendency for studies using in-person interviews to report higher prevalences. An accurate estimate of the prevalence of urinary incontinence depends on specifying the definition of incontinence and the age and gender groups of interest.

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Epidemiology and natural history of urinary incontinence in women.

Marie Carmela M Lapitan, Sereina A Herzog, Ananias Diokno … (2003)

Understanding the epidemiology (distribution and determinants) of urinary incontinence (UI), as well as its natural history is a very important issue. In this article, we discuss prevalence, incidence, natural history, and the variations that may be related to race and ethnicity. We focus on epidemiologic population comprising community-dwelling women who are not institutionalized. Our review clearly shows that there is a lack of advanced epidemiologic analyses. Variables that better characterize UI include frequency measure, quantity of urine loss, duration, type, and severity. These factors should be incorporated into basic study design so that more advanced and informative analyses may be conducted.