Male urinary incontinence (UI) affects quality of life and leads to a significant burden to the health care system. However, the contemporary prevalence and recent trends in UI and its subtypes among US men remain unknown.
We evaluated 20-yr trends in the prevalence of UI and its subtype in US men aged ≥20 yr.
A serial, cross-sectional analysis of the US nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey among men from 2001 to 2020.
Prevalence of any, stress, urgency and overflow UI were derived. The frequency of UI was assessed in four categories: less than one time per month, a few times per month, a few times per week, and every day and/or night. All analyses were conducted using sample weights, stratification, and clustering of the complex sampling design. Sociodemographic and lifestyle correlates of UI over time were identified using multivariable logistic regressions.
Data on 22994 US men (mean age, 46.6 yr [standard error, 0.20]; weighted population, 848642150) were analyzed. The prevalence of any UI increased from 2001-2002 (11.5% [95% confidence interval {CI}, 10.0-13.0]) to 2017-2020 (19.3% [95% CI, 17.2-21.3]), driven by urgency (from 9.0% [95% CI, 7.5-10.4]) to 15.2% [95% CI, 13.4-16.9]) and overflow UI (from 3.3% [95% CI, 2.7-4.0] to 5.5% [95% CI, 4.5-6.4]; all p for trend < 0.01). UI affects 38.5% US men ≥60 yr of age, with increasing trends in urgency and overflow UI and a decreasing trend in stress UI (all p for trend < 0.05). Racial/ethnic disparities were noted, with patterns differed by UI subtype. Compared with non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black men were more likely to report urgency UI (odds ratio [OR], 1.94 [95% CI, 1.71-2.20]). Hispanic men were more likely to report urgency UI (OR, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.14-1.56]), but less likely to report stress (OR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.56-0.98]) and overflow (OR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.58-0.98]) UI. Men with higher body mass index and current smokers were more likely to report any, stress, and urgency UI than their counterparts. A higher prevalence of any UI was found in men with low family poverty ratios and chronic diseases, and those who were physically inactive.
From 2001 to 2020, the overall prevalence of UI increased among US men, particularly for urgency and overflow UI.
In this report, we looked at the prevalence of urinary incontinence among US men in a nationally representative sample. We found that urinary incontinence increased in the past 20 yr driving by the urgency and overflow urinary incontinence.
European urology focus. 2022 May 10 [Epub ahead of print]
Chao Cao, Christie Zhang, Cynthia Sriskandarajah, Tianlin Xu, Geoffrey Gotto, Siobhan Sutcliffe, Lin Yang
Program in Physical Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA; Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA., Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada., Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA., Southern Alberta Institute of Urology and Department of Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada., Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA., Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Canada; Departments of Oncology and Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. Electronic address: .