Urinary Incontinence as a Predictor of Death: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The association between urinary incontinence (UI) and increased mortality remains controversial. The objective of our study was to evaluate if this association exists.

Methods

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies comparing death rates among patients suffering from UI to those without incontinence. We searched in Medline, Embase and the Cochrane library using specific keywords. Studies exploring the post-stroke period were excluded. Hazard ratios (HR) were pooled using models with random effects. We stratified UI by gender and by UI severity and pooled all models with adjustment for confounding variables.

Results

Thirty-eight studies were retrieved. When compared to non-urinary incontinent participants, UI was associate

SUBMITTER: John G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4943733 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature