Urinary incontinence in the aged, Part 1: Patient evaluation.
Urinary incontinence affects a large percentage of persons over age 65 and predisposes them to social isolation, depression, and premature nursing home placement. Transient incontinence may be precipitated by such factors as delirium, infection, atrophic vaginitis/urethritis, medication use, and restricted mobility. Persistent incontinence may be of the urge, stress, overflow, or functional type. The patient history and simple tests such as bedside urodynamics generally isolate the cause. In this first part of a two-part article, we discuss the primary care evaluation of the older patient with urinary incontinence. In part 2 (page 37), we discuss a primary care management strategy.
Rousseau
P
P
VA Medical Center, Phoenix.
Fuentevilla-Clifton
A
A
D000375:Aging; D005853:Geriatrics; D006801:Humans; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014554:Urination / Q000502:physiology*