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How Common is Urinary Incontinence


How Common is Urinary Incontinence?

It is estimated that about 13 million Americans, and between 10% and 35% of all adults, have some form of urinary incontinence. Incontinence occurs twice as often in women as in men, but both men and women of all races are increasingly likely to develop incontinence as they get older.1

  • About half of people who live in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities have incontinence.2
  • Up to 1 out of 5 older men and 1 out of 3 older women have incontinence.3

References

Citations

  1. Nitti VW, Blaivas JG (2007). Urinary incontinence: Epidemiology, pathophysiology, evaluation, and management overview. In AJ Wein et al., eds., Campbell-Walsh Urology, 9th ed., vol. 3, pp. 2046–2078. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier.

  2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2005, reaffirmed 2009). Urinary incontinence in women. ACOG Practice Bulletin No. 63. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 105(6): 1533–1545.

  3. Ouslander JG (2008). Urinary incontinence. In L Goldman, D Ausiello, eds., Cecil Medicine, 23rd ed., pp. 125–128. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier.

Credits

ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical ReviewerE. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical ReviewerAvery L. Seifert, MD - Urology
Last RevisedSeptember 13, 2010

eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise

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