Urinary incontinence as a risk factor for mortality.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether mortality is independently associated with urinary incontinence.


METHODS
6-year prospective study that started in 1983/84.


METHODS
A Midwestern County.


METHODS
Probability sample of 1956 community-residing persons 60 years of age and older in 1983/84.


METHODS
The independent variables of urinary incontinence, its types and severity, were measured by survey self-report, which was validated with clinical exams. The control variables of age, education, and health status were also self-reported. The dependent variable of death was established during follow-up interviews from reports of previously designated contact persons.


RESULTS
Neither incontinence status nor its severity level or types were found to be positively associated with 6-year mortality in logistic regression analyses that adjusted for age, education, and health status.


CONCLUSIONS
Whereas urinary incontinence can be an embarrassing and socially debilitating condition, it does not itself predict or contribute to mortality.
Herzog
A R
AR
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48106-1248.
Diokno
A C
AC
Brown
M B
MB
Fultz
N H
NH
Goldstein
N E
NE
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014549:Urinary Incontinence