Association between schizophrenia and urinary incontinence: A population-based study

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as the involuntary loss of urine and can constitute a hygiene or social problem for affected patients. Whether the UI incidence is higher in patients with schizophrenia than in the general population remains undetermined. Methods: The patients were selected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, using claims data from 2005 to 2011. We compared the risk of UI between schizophrenia and nonschizophrenia groups. Logistic regression models were employed for analyzing the risk of UI after adjustment for sex, age, and comorbidities. Results: The adjusted odds ratio for UI in the schizophrenia group was 1.78-fold higher than that in the nonschizophrenia group. Furthermore, male patients with schizophrenia were more susceptible to UI than their female counterparts, and a higher risk of UI was observed among younger patients with schizophrenia. Conclusion: Compared with the general population, the risk of UI was higher among the patients with schizophrenia. Early diagnosis and intervention can increase the quality of life among patients with schizophrenia.