To examine the association of race/ethnicity with urinary incontinence subtypes and overactive bladder and associated bother in older men.
This cross-sectional analysis utilized data from Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, an observational cohort of four racial/ethnic groups. At the sixth follow-up exam (age 60 to 98 years, 2015-16), urinary symptoms were ascertained with the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire. Prevalence ratios (PR) of urinary incontinence subtypes and overactive bladder without incontinence by race/ethnicity were calculated while adjusting for demographics, comorbidities and medications. Degree of bother was based on scale of 0 (none) to 10 (most) with bother presence defined as a score ≥3.
Among 1536 men, 94% completed the questionnaire. Among completers, race/ethnicity was 40.7% Non-Hispanic White, 14.3% Chinese, 23.0% Non-Hispanic Black and 22.1% Hispanic. Urinary incontinence was reported by 11.1%, and urgency urinary incontinence accounted for 78.0% of all urinary incontinence. Highest prevalence of urgency urinary incontinence was noted among Non-Hispanic Black men (13.0%) followed by Hispanic (11.3%), Non-Hispanic White (6.8%) and Chinese (2.9%) men. NH Black men showed higher prevalence of any urinary incontinence (PR 1.62; 95% CI 1.06, 2.47) and urgency urinary incontinence (1.63; 1.01, 2.61) compared to NH White men after adjustments for covariates. No significant association was noted with other urinary incontinence subtypes by race/ethnicity after adjustment for covariates. Over 70% of urinary incontinence was associated with bother for all racial/ethnic groups.
Urinary incontinence prevalence differs by race/ethnicity but most urinary incontinence is associated with bother regardless of race/ethnicity.
The Journal of urology. 2020 Sep 10 [Epub ahead of print]
Aelia Akbar, Kiang Liu, Erin D Michos, Linda Brubaker, Talar Markossian, Michael P Bancks, Holly Kramer
Department of Public Health Sciences and., Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL., Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD., Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA., Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC.