BERKELEY, CA (UroToday Inc.) - Urinary incontinence (UI) can have a significant psychological and emotional impact. Whether the impact is similar across ethnic groups is not known.

Dr. Hillary Bogner from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania performed a retrospective study to determine if there was a difference in psychological distress between elderly African Americans or white persons with and without UI. She reviewed the data collected from interviews of 747 subjects who were part of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program (ECA). All subjects were 50+ years old and had provided complete information on UI. Ethnicity and the presence of UI were self reported and obtained by asking specific questions. Psychological distress was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ).

Her results were published in the November 2004 edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The population mean age was 67.2 years. The gender representation was 64% women and 36% men. A total of 19.8% reported UI during the preceding year. Of these, 72.3% were white and 27.7% were black. African Americans with UI were likely to experience greater psychological distress than continent African Americans. There was no statistically significant association between UI and excessive psychological distress in whites. Using multiple logistic regression, UI had a greater psychological effect on African Americans (adjusted odds ratio = 5.60) than whites (adjusted odds ration=1.07).

The author concludes that UI has a greater negative impact on African Americans than on whites. Whether the association between psychological distress and UI is due to differences in the epidemiology and pathophysiology of UI or is related to social inequalities or other unknown factors will need further study.

J Am Geriatr Soc 2004; 52:1870-1874