“It can always happen”: The impact of urinary incontinence on elderly men and women

Figures & data

Figure 1.  Flowchart of the study population

Table I.  Characteristics of the study population.

Characteristics	Male (%) n = 55	Female (%) n = 293
Mean age, years	70.9	71.1
Marital status
Married, cohabiting	46(84)	184(63)
Single	2(4)	9(3)
Widow/widower	6(10)	95(32)
Divorced	1(2)	5(2)
Education level
Low^a	26(47)	192(66)
Medium^b	18(15)	69(24)
High^c	11(20)	32(10)
Duration of incontinence
<6 months	0(0)	0(0)
>6 months to < 2 years	8(15)	32(11)
2–5 years	22(40)	102(35)
>5 years	25(45)	159(54)
Type of incontinence*
Stress	3(5)	56(19)
Urge	38(70)	58(20)
Mixed	6(11)	168(57)
Other	8(14)	9(4)
Severity of incontinence*
Mild	10(18)	14(5)
Moderate	44(80)	220(79)
Severe	1(2)	49(16)

^aNone/basic/lower professional; ^bmedium general preparatory/medium professional; ^chigher general preparatory/higher professional/university. ^*Chi-squared test for sex differences, p < 0.001.

Table II.  Percentage of patients who indicate experiencing some, moderate, or severe impact, the impact score for each question of the IIQ, and the impact score for each domain, in male and female patients with UI (n = 348).

	Male (n = 55)		Female (n = 293)
IIQ question	Patients who experienced impact (%)	Impact score	Patients who experienced impact (%)	Impact score
Physical activity
Household chores	4	1.42	14^*	6.00
Repair work in home or garden	8	2.66	13^*	6.33
Shopping	18	6.66	20	9.66
Hobbies	11	5.00	6	3.67
Physical recreation	11	5.93	22	12.00
Physical health	5	2.38	4	1.49
Travel
Entertainment	10	4.87	6	3.23
Travel < 20 min	4	2.42	3	1.28
Travel > 20 min	16	7.88	9	3.77
Going to places if you are not sure about the availability of toilets	37	26.79	31	19.49
Holidays	3	2.56	7	1.39
Employment	0	0	0	0
Social
Church	4	1.63	4	1.84
Volunteer work	0	0	1	0.71
Having friends visit you	0	0	0	1.06
Social activities	4	3.77	3	2.17
Relationship with friends	4	1.78	1	0.53
Relationship with family	2	1.88	1	1.15
Sexual relationships	5	3.42	5^*	3.80
Clothing	27	13.10	10^*,**	4.95
Fear of odour	13	7.14	1^*,**	0.42
Emotional
Fear of embarrassment	7	6.66	1^*	0.64
Emotional health	27	13.69	14	7.22
Sleep	29	16.07	14^*,**	7.43
Nervousness or anxiety	41	22.62	33	18.15
Fear	21	13.69	16	8.73
Frustration	48	26.79	32^*,**	17.30
Anger	14	10.12	12	6.26
Depression	14	4.76	5^*,**	2.55
Embarrassment	46	32.74	34	22.08
Domain score	Men		Women
Physical activity	4.2		6.1
Travel	10.5		7.5^***
Social	4.5		1.4^***
Emotional	17.6		11.2^***
Total IIQ	9.3		6.5^***

*p < 0.01 (chi-squared test of sex differences in patient who experienced impact and in those who did not); **p < 0.01 (chi-squared test of sex differences in the four groups; patients who experienced no impact, who experienced some impact, who experienced moderate impact and those who experienced severe impact); ***p < 0.01 (t-test sex differences).

Table

Box1: Quotes related to “being out of control”

“I just can't control it.”

“It can always happen despite all of my preparations.”

“I'm afraid that someone can see I'm wet or can smell it.”

“When you feel the urge to go to the toilet I have to run because otherwise I'm too late.”

“Despite the pads I feel always wet and dirty.”

“I'm always afraid of having a fit of coughing, because when that occurs I'm totally wet.”

“Incontinence makes me feel old.”

Table

Box2: Quotes related to “feeling forced to take several precautions”

“Every time it happens I have to change pads or sometimes my clothes. This is especially annoying when I am out. I always have to take clothes and pads with me and I'm always looking for a toilet.”

“I need the security that a toilet is nearby. That's especially a problem when I go to places where I'm not sure if there is a toilet available. This means I avoid leaving home.”

“When I go shopping I plan the route on that way so that there is always toilet nearby.”

“I also have to change pads at night, that is really annoying.”

“I cannot be without pads, the need to wear them is terrible.”

“I'm less able to carry or lift as part of daily activities because otherwise I am wet.”