Urinary incontinence: an ignored problem in elderly patients

KS Leung, MF Ng, FC Pang, SY Au
Department of Geriatrics, Tuen Mun Hospital, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong

Urinary incontinence is a common problem among the elderly, especially those admitted to acute care hospitals. A study investigating this problem was conduced in the geriatric wards of the Tuen Mun Hospital, Tuen Mun, from 26 October 1995 to 9 November 1995. Fifty of 139 (36%) patients had urinary incontinence with a male to female ratio of 1:15. Patients with urinary incontinence were found more often to have mobility problems and a higher institutionalisation rate than did continent patients. Dementia and cerebrovascular accident were also found to be associated with this problem. Although it is a common problem, none had been evaluated or treated before. Most of the caregivers thought that urinary incontinence was a normal ageing process and used diapers to treat this problem.

Hong Kong Med J 1997;3:27-33

Key words: Urinary incontinence; Education, medical; Awareness; Incontinence pads; Aged