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. 2009 Mar;181(3):1224-30; discussion 1230.
doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2008.11.024. Epub 2009 Jan 18.

Urinary incontinence among women with type 1 diabetes--how common is it?

Aruna V Sarma  1 , Alka M Kanaya, Leroy M Nyberg, John W Kusek, Eric Vittinghoff, Brandy Rutledge, Patricia A Cleary, Patricia Gatcomb, Jeanette S Brown; Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Research Group
Affiliations

Urinary incontinence among women with type 1 diabetes--how common is it?

Aruna V Sarma et al. J Urol. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: We compared the prevalence, level of bother and effect on daily activities of urinary incontinence among women with type 1 diabetes enrolled in the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study to a population based sample of women with normal glucose.

Materials and methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of women with type 1 diabetes and normal glucose tolerance using 2 study populations. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial cohort followup, Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications, began in 1994. In 2004 women participants (550) completed a self-administered questionnaire on urinary incontinence. Our primary outcome was weekly or greater incontinence, overall and by type. Prevalence of urinary incontinence was compared to a subgroup of women with normal glucose in the 2001 to 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Results: Overall 65% of women with type 1 diabetes reported any urinary incontinence (17% reported weekly incontinence). Nearly 40% of these women were greatly bothered by their incontinence and 9% believed it affected their day-to-day activities. Women with type 1 diabetes had a nearly 2-fold greater prevalence of weekly urge incontinence compared to those without diabetes in the NHANES cohort (8.8% vs 4.5%, p = 0.01).

Conclusions: Urinary incontinence is common in women with type 1 diabetes and the prevalence of weekly urge incontinence is far greater compared to that in women with normal glucose levels. Moreover, the prevalence of urinary incontinence in women with type 1 diabetes was greater than that of neuropathy, retinopathy and nephropathy. These findings highlight the importance of screening for urinary incontinence among women with type 1 diabetes. Studies examining factors associated with urinary incontinence in women with type 1 diabetes are warranted.

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Figures

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Flow of female participants through DCCT and EDIC to Uro-EDIC
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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