title: Incidence and remission of female urinary incontinence over 6.5 years: analysis of a health screening project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the incidence and remission of female urinary incontinence (UI) over 6.5 years and to identify risk factors for the development of UI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women who underwent a health investigation in 1998 or 1999 in the area of Vienna completed the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms questionnaire. In 2005, all women (n=925) aged >/=20 yr in 1999 who were still living in the area of Vienna were invited to recomplete the questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 47.7% (n=441; age range, 20-84 yr), and the mean follow-up was 6.5 yr. The overall prevalence of UI was 32% at baseline and increased to 43% in 6.5 years. The mean annual cumulative incidence of UI was 3.9%, with the lowest rate (2.3%) in the youngest age group (20-39 yr) and the highest (7.3%) in those aged 70 yr or older. The mean annual full remission rate was 2.9%, with no clear age dependency. More than half (55.6%) of the women with a full remission had only a mild form of UI at baseline. In a multivariate analysis, urgency (p=0.008) and age (p=0.024) were correlated to the risk of de novo UI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This longitudinal study demonstrates that UI is not necessarily a progressive process but rather is a dynamic one.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and Andrology, Donauspital, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wehrberger
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Temml
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ponholzer
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Madersbacher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D012074:Remission Induction; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy