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Weekly urge urinary incontinence was associated with increased risk for falls and non-spinal fractures in older women

Design
Cohort study with mean 3 year follow up (Study of Osteoporotic Fractures [SOF]).

Setting
4 clinical care centres in Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, USA.

Participants
6049 community dwelling, ambulatory white women who were 65 years of age (mean age 79 y), attended 5 SOF clinic or home visits, completed a physical examination and self administered questionnaire, provided data on urinary incontinence, and returned 1 postcard reporting falls after visit 5.

Assessment of risk factors
Number of live births; hysterectomy status; smoking status; alcohol use; walking; total weekly excursions outside the home; medical history, including hip or knee replacement, stroke, diabetes, Parkinson' or Alzheimer' disease, or arthritis; self reported joint pain; falls within the past year; functional status; medication use; and cognitive function. Frequency and type (urge, stress, or mixed) of urinary incontinence were assessed at the fifth clinic visit.

Main outcome measures
Reported falls and nonspinal, nontraumatic fractures (fractures were confirmed by radiography).

Main results
25% of women reported 1 . . . [Full text of this article]

Suzanne D Fields, MD

State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA