How many people suffer from urinary incontinence?
According to scientific studies by Thomas et al. (published in the British
Medical Journal of November l980, p.1243- 45), only a minority (0.2% of
women and 0.1% of men of age 15 to 64) were known to physicians or social
services as incontinent of urine. In contrast, a much larger proportion
was found when people who have not sought help for incontience are responding
to a questionnaire survey: More than 3.5% of men aged 25 to 54 and over
25% of women aged 25 to 54 reported at least occasional urinary incontinence
problems. It is possible that these persons are too embarrassed to seek
help. Women who had four or more babies were most likely to report regular
incontinence (i.e., twice a month or more often) of urine: over 15% of
those aged 15 to 54. Most of these persons found it to be an embarassing
problem. The questionnaire data might underestimate the prevalence of urinary
incontinence as many of those who frequently suffer from incontinence,
particularly of the bowel, are secretive about their problem. Some university
textbooks of urology or obstetrics estimate that 50 % of women who had
2 or more children suffer at least from an occasional urinary incontinence.
However, the term "urinary incontinence" is used by health science professionals
in a much larger sense than by the lay public and includes also the cases
of occasional involuntary minor dribbling with only minor wet stains on
clothing, or the cases of infrequent involuntary loss of small amounts
of urine when sneezing, coughing, or lifting objects (stress incontinence)
and other minor forms of involuntary leakage. For example, Dr. Liddle suggested,
in an article (reprinted in R.C. Benson's textbook "Current Obstetric &
Gynecologic Diagnosis & Treatment, l982) that "almost half of women
have some degree of incontinence". Much support for comparably high estimates
comes from other survey studies, e.g., from a study by Wolin (published
in the Journal of Urology, l969, Volume 101, p.545-9). Wolin's survey of
4211 young nursing students who never had children found that 50.7%
had some degree of stress incontinence and 16 % experienced it on a
daily basis, but none of them had ever sought treatment. It is assumed
that they either felt too ashamed of this problem or felt it was not abnormal.
A brief review of older studies can be found in Malvern (see British Journal
of Hospital Medicine, l98l, Vol. 25, p.224-231). He reports on a 1954 study
of single college girls all of whom were nulliparous (i.e., never had children).
Over 50 % of these college students suffered from an occasional involuntary
urine loss and 5 % from a frequent leakage. A 1972 study of hospital
personnel found that 25 % experienced very mild, 7 % moderate, and 2 %
severe incontinence. A research by Osborne in commercial settings indicated
that 26.6% of shop assistants aged 35 to 59 suffered from incontinence.
Particularly valuable modern research on incontinence in women was carried
out by Hogne Sandvik at the University of Bergen in Norway. To read
his research report (on his home page), please click at: Norvegian
research on incontinence.
Please note that most of these studies report on data from women. There
is a relative lack of good research survey data from males.
An alarming issue in modern medical sociology is the relative lack of
more widely available reusable garments for incontinence care, i.e., reusable
diapers, and plastic pants, or rubber pants in adult sizes. Only a minority
of those chronically incontinent persons who seek for these products do
actually find them because almost no stores in USA and Canada sell them.
They are usually available only from mailorder companies. Some of these
sell them at a low cost, e.g., the AC
Medical Supplies. The mailorder catalog of AC Medical is on the internet
at their homepage.