Prevalence

"Approximately 17 million adults in the US suffer from urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is a leading cause of admission to nursing homes, and nearly half of nursing home residents have some degree of incontinence. Women are twice as affected as men. Nearly 35% of female Medicare beneficiaries and 25% of male beneficiaries are estimated to suffer from urinary incontinence" (CMS 2000).

Urinary incontinence affects nearly 40% of all adult American women. More than 25% of teenage and college-aged female athletes experience incontinence with more than 90% withholding incontinence information to their primary care providers. In nursing homes, approximately 6% of admissions are due to urinary incontinence (Harris & Riggs 2021).

Although the prevalence of incontinence increases with age, it is not a normal consequence of aging. Incontinence is often distressing and can be disabling in the elderly. It can have a tremendous effect on the quality of life and other health conditions. Nearly a third of all patients do not speak to their doctor about incontinence, thereby increasing morbidity"(CMS 2000).

Urinary incontinence (UI) increases with age.

• UI in community-dwelling women increases with age from 19% below 45 years to 29%
  in years 80 and older
• UI in female nursing home residents ranges from 60%-78%.
• UI in community-dwelling men ranges from 5% to 15% below 45 years old to 21% at
  65 years and above
• UI in male nursing home residents ranges from 45%-72% (Landefeld, C. S. 2008).

Sier, Ouslander and Orzeck (1987), reported 35% of geriatric patients in an acute-care hospital setting experienced incontinence at some time during their stay. These researchers also found that:

• Incontinence was more common among women and patients older than 75 years.
  
• Incontinence was associated with impaired cognitive and/or physical functioning and treatment for urinary tract infections.
  
• When incontinence was present before admission, it usually persisted after discharge.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS 2000).
Decision Memo for Pelvic Floor Electrical Stimulation for Urinary Incontinence (CAG-00021N)
http://cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/details/nca-decision-memo.aspx?NCAId=61

Harris S, Riggs J. Mixed Urinary Incontinence. [Updated 2021 Jul 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing;  Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534234/"

Landefeld, C. S. (2008). National Institutes of Health State-of-the-science conference statement: Prevention of fecal and urinary incontinence in adults. Annals of Internal Medicine, 148(6), 449. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-148-6-200803180-00210

Milsom, I., & Gyhagen, M. (2019). The prevalence of urinary incontinence. Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society, 22(3), 217–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/13697137.2018.1543263

Sier, H; Ouslander,J; Orzeck, S. (1987) Urinary Incontinence Among Geriatric Patients in an Acute-Care Hospital. JAMA. 1987;257(13):1767-1771

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