Urinary incontinence

Abstract

Urinary incontinence (UI) has been defi ned as “an involuntary loss of urine that is a social or hygienic problem and is objectively demonstrable.™ UI affects 30-50 % of elderly women and approximately 10 % of men of all ages [ 1 ]. UI negatively impacts a person’s quality of life. Validated questionnaires have demonstrated that patients with UI have health-related quality of life scores comparable to those with multiple sclerosis. Even though UI may strongly impact their quality of life, many patients delay seeking treatment. Nearly half of patients are symptomatic for ›3 years before seeking treatment [ 2 ]. Fifty-nine percent of patients do not seek treatment because they believe no effective treatment is available [ 2 ].