Risk factors for urinary incontinence among women aged 60 or over with hypertension in Taiwan

ObjectiveTo assess the associated risk factors and the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) among women with hypertension (H/T) aged 60 or over in Taiwan.Materials and MethodsA total of 2410 women aged 60 or over were selected by a multistage random sampling method and a total of 1519 women completed the face-to-face interviews. Only women who answered “yes” to the question “Do you have H/T?” were included in the H/T sample. The factors were assessed by frequency and Pearson's χ² test using a significance level of p < 0.05. Logistic regression was used to investigate the significance of dichotomous dependent variables.ResultsA total of 39.7% (602 women) interviewees had H/T, among which 39.9% (240 women) had UI symptoms. The prevalence of UI among women aged 60 or over with or without H/T was significantly different (p = 0.006). Risk factors were age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.043, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.016–1.071, per year], diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR = 1.653, 95% CI 1.105–2.474), previous urinary diseases (OR = 3.462, 95% CI 2.260–5.301), and body mass index (BMI; OR = 1.060, 95% CI 1.012–1.110, per unit). There was no significant association between UI and drug allergy, smoking, hysterectomy, hormone therapy, or gynecological surgery.ConclusionUI can be a frequent and annoying problem for aged women. In women with H/T, UI is significantly related to risk factors such as age, DM, BMI, and urinary diseases. In addition, BMI is considered a key risk factor for H/T. Therefore, effective control of BMI would help in controlling H/T and UI in aged women.