Prevalence and Features of Post-stroke Urinary Incontinence: A Retrospective Cohort Study

• Published in: Archives of Iranian medicine Vol. 26; no. 5; pp. 234 - 240
• Main Authors: Sadeghi, Mohammad Amin, Hemmati, Sara, Emami Razavi, Seyede Zahra, Vahabizad, Fahimeh, Yekaninejad, Mir Saeed, Azadvari, Mohaddeseh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran 01.05.2023
• Subjects: Original; Urinary incontinence; Stroke; Quality of life
• ISSN: 1029-2977; 1735-3947
• DOI: 10.34172/aim.2023.36

Long-term complications of stroke, persisting for more than 6 months after the initial event, substantially reduce the quality of life (QoL) in a significant percentage of stroke survivors. In this paper, we studied the prevalence of long-term urinary incontinence (UI) in post-stroke patients. In addition, we attempted to identify patient characteristics which were associated with higher UI prevalence, higher UI severity, and less UI-associated QoL. Medical records in a tertiary referral hospital were used to contact patients who had experienced a stroke between 6 to 32 months before the study date. The patients were given the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) questionnaire for determining the presence of UI and its severity. UI-positive patients were then given the I-QOL questionnaire to determine their QoL. The prevalence of UI in our study population (n=189) was 31%. Older age at the time of stroke was associated with higher UI severity ( =0.290) and lower QoL ( =-0.265). Furthermore, the presence of movement limitation was associated with higher UI prevalence ( <0.001, OR=3.89) and severity ( =0.002, =1.05). Movement limitation also significantly impacted the psychological and social aspects of UI-associated QoL ( =0.035, =-0.74). Conversely, higher body mass indices (BMIs) were associated with lower UI severity ( =-0.346) and higher QoL ( =0.281). In conclusion, UI continues to be prevalent in stroke survivors long after the cerebrovascular accident (CVA). As a result, these patients require continuous monitoring and UI prevention.