Six-year follow-up and predictors of urgency-associated urinary incontinence and bowel symptoms among the oldest old: A population-based study

Urinary urgency with incontinence, and fecal incontinence and constipation were followed up over a 6-year period in 398 subjects aged 70 years and over at baseline. Age- and gender-adjusted and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the associations of urinary urgency and fecal incontinence and constipation with mortality, and logistic regression models to determine predictors of incident symptoms among the survivors. The proportion of incident cases of urinary urgency with incontinence, fecal incontinence and constipation in the 252 survivors were 17% (n = 46), 9% (n = 34) and 13% (n = 36), respectively. Frequently reported urinary urgency (hazard ratio, HR = 2.23; 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.37–3.61) and frequently reported fecal incontinence (HR = 4.99; CI = 2.11–11.79) were associated with mortality when adjusted for age and gender only. In the multivariate analyses, comorbidity (odds ratio, OR = 5.54; CI = 2.03–15.14), depressive mood (OR = 5.78; CI = 1.35–24.79) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability (OR = 4.18, CI = 1.52–11.50) predicted incident urgency urinary incontinence. Comorbidity (OR = 2.91; CI = 1.09–7.77) predicted incident fecal incontinence, while no significant predictors were identified for the incident symptom of constipation. Comorbidities and disabilities explain the association of severe urinary and fecal incontinence with mortality.