title: Mobility impairment is associated with urge but not stress urinary incontinence in community-dwelling older women: results from the Ossébo study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between functional limitations related to mobility and urinary incontinence (UI) in elderly women.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine 'balance' workshops in France.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1942 community-dwelling women aged 75-85 years, who were invited, based on voter registration lists, to a 'balance assessment'.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mobility and balance test results for incontinent women were compared with those for continent women according to the severity and type of incontinence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on UI were collected using a self-administered questionnaire (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form). Motor-related physical abilities were assessed using standardised balance and functional gait tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-two per cent of women had involuntary urine leakage, with daily leaks in 57% of them; 24% had stress UI, 31% had urge UI, and 37% had mixed UI. Results for each functional test were poorer for women with UI and the limitation was more pronounced when the incontinence was severe. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that balance and gait impairments were significantly and independently associated with urge UI (walking speed, lower versus higher quartile, odds ratio (OR) 2.2; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.4-3.5; walking balance, unable versus able to do four tandem steps (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.2-2.2) but not with stress UI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this large population of older women living at home, there was a strong association between limitation of motor and balance skills and UI, which was proportional to the severity of incontinence and related specifically to urge incontinence. These results offer new perspectives on the prevention and treatment of urge incontinence in elderly women.
authors.affiliation: INSERM, UMR S953, UMPC Paris-6 University, Epidemiological Research Unit on Perinatal Health and Women's and Children's Health, Paris, France; Poitiers University Hospital, INSERM CIC802, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fritel
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lachal
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cassou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fauconnier
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dargent-Molina
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D011788:Quality of Life; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D053202:Urinary Incontinence, Urge / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Ageing; balance; impairment; mobility; urinary incontinence