Prevalence and Features of Post-stroke Urinary Incontinence: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Long-term complications of stroke, persisting for more than 6 months after the initial event, substantially reduce the quality of life (QoL) in a significant percentage of stroke survivors. In this paper, we studied the prevalence of long-term urinary incontinence (UI) in post-stroke patients. In addition, we attempted to identify patient characteristics which were associated with higher UI prevalence, higher UI severity, and less UI-associated QoL.Methods: Medical records in a tertiary referral hospital were used to contact patients who had experienced a stroke between 6 to 32 months before the study date. The patients were given the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF) questionnaire for determining the presence of UI and its severity. UI-positive patients were then given the I-QOL questionnaire to determine their QoL.Results: The prevalence of UI in our study population (n = 189) was 31%. Older age at the time of stroke was associated with higher UI severity (r = 0.290) and lower QoL (r =-0.265). Furthermore, the presence of movement limitation was associated with higher UI prevalence (P< 0.001, OR= 3.89) and severity (P= 0.002, d = 1.05). Movement limitation also significantly impacted the psychological and social aspects of UI-associated QoL (P= 0.035, d =-0.74). Conversely, higher body mass indices (BMIs) were associated with lower UI severity (r =-0.346) and higher QoL (r= 0.281).Conclusion: In conclusion, UI continues to be prevalent in stroke survivors long after the cerebrovascular accident (CVA). As a result, these patients require continuous monitoring and UI prevention.