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Bladder Control Problems Common in U.S.

By WebMD
Published | Updated

If you've recently had a problem with bladder control, you're far from alone.

New surveys show that urinary incontinence — a problem with bladder control — is quite common. Both surveys were reported at this week's annual meeting of the American Urological Association in San Antonio.

UCLA researcher Jennifer Tash Anger, MD, and colleagues with the Urologic Diseases in America Project analyzed data from the huge National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Click here to read WebMD's "Find Relief for Stress Incontinence"

Of the 23.5 million women surveyed, 38 percent said they'd suffered at least one episode of urinary incontinence in the last year. Among these women:

— 13.7 percent of women with bladder control problems said they suffered incontinence every day.

— 10 percent of women with bladder control problems said they suffered incontinence every week.

— Bladder control problems were more common in non-Hispanic whites (41 percent) than in non-Hispanic blacks (20 percent) or Mexican-Americans (36 percent).

— As women get older, daily incontinence is more common. Among women aged 60-64, 12 percent report daily incontinence. This increases to 21 percent of women aged 85 and older.

Ananias C. Diokno, MD, chairman of urology at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., reported on data from a national sample of 21,590 men.

They found that 9 percent of men reported a bladder control problem in the last 30 days. Among these men:

— 29 percent of men with a bladder control problem reported stress urinary incontinence. That means they had trouble controlling their bladder when coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising.

— 41 percent of men with a bladder control problem reported urge urinary incontinence. That means a strong, sudden urge to urinate followed by an involuntary bladder contraction and loss of urine.

— 16 percent of men with a bladder control problem had mixed stress and urge incontinence.

— 27 percent of men with a prostate condition had urinary incontinence.

Click here to read WebMD's "New Relief for Stress Incontinence"

There are lifestyle changes, exercises, and medications that can help improve bladder control:

— Avoid drinking excess amounts of diuretics.

— A popular set of exercises called Kegel exercises strengthens the muscles that are squeezed when trying to stop urinating midstream.

— For those who smoke, stop smoking. Nicotine irritates the bladder.

— Wearing protective devices such as absorbent products, underwear, and adult diapers or using bed pads can also help manage urinary incontinence.

Click here to read WebMD's "Hormones May Worsen Urinary Incontinence"

By Daniel J. DeNoon, reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

SOURCES: American Urological Association's 2005 Annual Meeting, San Antonio, May 21-26, 2005. WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise: "Urinary Incontinence in Women."