title: Pharmacologic treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunction in geriatric patients.
abstract: Medications to treat lower urinary tract dysfunction in older adults are selected to alter specific physiologic parameters. Pharmacotherapy alone results in modest clinical improvement. Because of the high prevalence of adverse drug reactions and polypharmacy in the geriatric population, medication should be used for those conditions that do not respond sufficiently to behavioral therapy. For stress incontinence, medications with alpha-adrenergic agonist properties are the mainstay of pharmacotherapy because they increase outlet resistance. Pharmacotherapy of urinary frequency and urge incontinence aims to decrease detrusor irritability and increase bladder capacity by inhibiting cholinergic stimulation of the bladder. In addition to these medications, in postmenopausal women, estrogen seems to have an additive effect for both urge and stress incontinence. More randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trials are needed that compare various pharmacologic agents and combinations, as well as pharmacotherapy with other forms of treatment for lower urinary tract dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham Continence Program 35233, USA. PGOODE@aging.dom.uab.edu
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Goode
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Burgio
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004775:Enuresis / Q000188:drug therapy; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017698:Postmenopause; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000188:drug therapy; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists