Comorbidities associated with urinary incontinence: A case-control study from the second dutch national survey of general practice

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify which comorbidities are more common in patients with urinary incontinence compared with patients without this diagnosis. Design of study: Case-control study. Setting/methods: The data for this study were obtained from the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice (DNSGP-2) performed in 2001 and were extracted from the electronic medical records of all patients registered in the participating practices in the year of study (2001). Conditional logistic regression was performed using the PHREG (proportional hazards regression) procedure. Results: Urinary tract infections, constipation, and depression were more prevalent in both men and women with urinary incontinence than in controls. In men, heart failure is more common than among controls, and in women, diabetes mellitus, genitourinary prolapse, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/asthma are more common than among controls. Conclusion: General practitioners could ask for the presence of urinary incontinence in patients with the above described comorbidities.