2-YEAR INCIDENCE, REMISSION, AND CHANGE PATTERNS OF URINARY-INCONTINENCE IN NONINSTITUTIONALIZED OLDER ADULTS

In this study, patterns of urinary incontinence, its severity and types were studied by three sequential data collections at annual intervals. The data are from a panel survey of a probability sample of 1,956 noninstitutionalized persons aged 60 and over residing in Washtenaw County, Michigan, who were interviewed in their homes about urine loss. Based on these self-reports, the prevalence of urinary incontinence was 18.9% in men and 37.7% in women. One-year incidence rates of about 20% among women and about 10% among men were found. One-year remission rates were about 12% for women and about 30% for men. When becoming incontinent, respondents were most likely to develop mild incontinence. Those who changed their severity level were most likely to progress from mild to moderate.