BERKELEY, CA (UroToday.com) - There are few studies estimating the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in poor populations.
One of them, in a low income population of the USA, shows a UI prevalence of 45% in women and 26% in men on Medicaid (Adelmann, 2004). A recent review about the prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction in general female poor populations around the world shows a UI prevalence of 28.7% (Godfrey, 2011). In Brazil there are studies in the general elderly population that do not distinguish the individuals according to income. It is important for public health systems to know if poor populations have high prevalence of UI in order to promote prevention and treatment practices in medical routine.
In relation to hypertension, it is known that drugs used to treat this disorder, such as alpha-blockers and diuretics, can cause urinary symptoms. Therefore, as 41.4% of our total sample had regular use of this type of drug, the association found may have been influenced by this factor.
Written by:
Juliana Schulze Burti as part of Beyond the Abstract on UroToday.com. This initiative offers a method of publishing for the professional urology community. Authors are given an opportunity to expand on the circumstances, limitations etc... of their research by referencing the published abstract.
UroToday.com Urinary Incontinence (UI) Section