Prevalence of urinary incontinence among women with diabetes in the Lolland-Falster Health Study, Denmark

AIMS: To investigate the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) and UI subtypes (stress, urgency, and mixed UI) in women with or without diabetes mellitus; and to investigate the association between diabetes and UI (any and subtypes).

METHODS: A cross-sectional study based on the Lolland-Falster, Denmark population-based health study. From 2016 to 2020, clinical measurement, questionnaires, and blood tests were collected. A total of 8563 women aged 18 or older were enrolled. Data analysis included 7906 women. UI was defined as any involuntary leakage of urine during the previous 4 weeks. Multiple logistic regression was used to adjust for confounders: age, body mass index, parity, physical activity, previous gestational diabetes, education, and smoking.

RESULTS: UI prevalence was 50.3% in women with diabetes and 39.3% in women without diabetes. The unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio (OR) for UI in women with diabetes was OR 1.56 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.92) and 1.11 (95% CI, 0.88-1.38), respectively. Mixed UI was associated with diabetes after controlling for confounders. A subgroup analysis found women using multiple antidiabetic medications had increased odds of UI, 2.75 (95% CI, 1.38-5.48), after controlling for confounders.

CONCLUSION: The prevalence of UI in women with diabetes was higher than in women without diabetes. The odds of UI was 56% higher in women with diabetes compared with women without diabetes but the effect was attenuated when controlling for confounders and statistically significance was not achieved. For a subgroup using multiple antidiabetic medications, the risk of UI was higher than in women without diabetes.