Effect of urinary incontinence on negative self-perception of health and depression in elderly adults: a population-based cohort

Abstract

The scope of this study was to measure the prevalence of negative self-perceived health and depressive symptoms in elderly adults according to the presence of urinary incontinence, after a follow-up of nine years. This is a prospective population-based cohort study entitled Bagé Cohort Study of Aging, from Rio Grande do Sul. A total of 1,593 elderly adults were interviewed in the baseline study (2008) and 735 between September 2016 and August 2017. The “urinary incontinence (UI)” exposure was assessed in the baseline study and the outcomes “negative self-perceived health” and “depressive symptoms” in 2016/17. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated by Logistic Regression and adjusted for demographic, social, behavioral and health conditions. The prevalence of UI was 20.7% in 2008 and 24.5% in 2016/17; the incidence was 19.8%, being 23.8% among women and 14.6% among men (p = 0.009). Elderly adults with UI at the baseline study had a 4.0 (CI95%: 1.8-8.8) and a 3.4 (CI95%: 1.8-6.2) greater chance to develop negative self-perception of health and depressive symptoms, respectively, after nine years of follow-up, compared to those without UI. The results show a greater probability of mental problems among elderly adults with UI.

Key words:
Elderly; Urinary incontinence; Self-assessment; Depression; Longitudinal studies