Prevalence and progress of urinary incontinence in elderly patients in longterm wards

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn Skoða/Opna(view/open)A prevalence study of urinary incontinence was performed on patients and residents in the City Hospital geriatric wards and associated nursing homes. Information on urinary incontinence was obtained from nursing staff. Included in the study were 220 patients, 173 women and 47 men. Of all patients^ 53% were found to be incontinent of urine, the rate being equal for both men and women. Cognitive function, mobility and self sufficiency was graded into three functional categories. Urinary incontinence was strongly related with other disability and found in 82% of those with most severe dementia, in 92% of the least mobile people and in 87% of the least self sufficient ones. After six months, only two people had regained continence and seven people had .become incontinent of urine. In one year, 55 people had died and 37 (67%) had belonged to the group of urinary incontinence. By this time the mortality rate for the incontinent group had become significantly higher (p