Urinary incontinence among patients admitted to a geriatric department. Prevalence and therapeutic needs
Axelsen, U.
Ugeskrift for Laeger 160(34): 4890-4893
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-5782 PMID: 9741258 Document Number: 492282
Urinary incontinence is a common condition in elderly people. It is well established that urinary incontinence in most cases can be significantly improved or cured by simple investigations and treatments. During a three month period 227 newly admitted geriatric patients were examined with the purpose of investigating 1) the prevalence of urinary incontinence; 2) the history of seeking medical treatment; 3) the present motivation for treatment; 4) the inconvenience the patients experienced from their incontinence. Fifty-seven percent of the women and 46% of the men suffered from urinary incontinence (mean age 81.8 years). Thirty-eight percent of the patients with present or previous incontinence had sought medical treatment. In 28% of these cases the treatment had been successful. The main reason for patients not seeking treatment was lack of expectation of treatment opportunities. Forty-four percent of the incontinent patients requested treatment in our geriatric department. Patients reported increasing inconvenience in line with increasing severity of the incontinence problem. Despite good treatment opportunities urinary incontinence in the elderly is still underdiagnosed and poorly treated.