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Quality of life following bladder training in older women with urinary incontinence

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Abstract

This study investigated the changes in quality of life following a randomized controlled 6-week trial of bladder training in 123 older women with urinary incontinence. Both clinical (diary, pad test) and quality of life measures (Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ), Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D)) and visual analog scales on symptom burden were obtained at baseline, 6 weeks and 6 months following treatment. All subscales and the composite scale of the IIQ and the visual analog scales were significantly improved following bladder training, with effects maintained 6 months later. No changes were observed in CES-D scores. Women with genuine stress incontinence and those with detrusor instability with or without concomitant stress incontinence had similar improvements. We conclude that bladder training is effective in improving the quality of life of incontinent women regardless of urodynamic diagnosis.

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EDITORIAL COMMENT: This is a well designed investigation looking at the impact of bladder training on the quality of life of elderly women with urinary incontinence. The results are as would be expected: bladder training significantly improves the quality of life of such women. It is, however, surprising that the effect is equally positive in patients with pure stress incontinence and those with detrusor instability. Given the short-term improvement in patients with pure stress incontinence (there was deterioration in quality of life 6 months after treatment), perhaps the only reason for the positive change in quality of life and continence lay in the increased frequency of urination and the regimented voiding habits, which were not maintained post-treatment.

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Wyman, J.F., Fantl, J.A., McClish, D.K. et al. Quality of life following bladder training in older women with urinary incontinence. Int Urogynecol J 8, 223–229 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02765818

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