Prevalence and impact of urinary incontinence in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a questionnaire survey

Objectives: To identify urinary incontinence and its impact on men with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and men without lung disease.

Design: Prospective questionnaire study.

Setting: Outpatients attending a public metropolitan hospital.

Participants: Men with COPD (n=49) and age-matched men without lung disease (n=36).

Interventions: Validated questionnaires to identify the prevalence and impact of urinary incontinence.

Main outcome measures: Prevalence of urinary incontinence and relationship with disease-specific factors, and relationship of urinary incontinence with anxiety and depression.

Results: The prevalence of urinary incontinence was higher in men with COPD (n=19/49) compared with men without lung disease (n=6/36; P=0.027). In men with COPD, symptoms of urgency were more prevalent in men with urinary incontinence (P=0.005), but this was not evident in men without lung disease (P=0.101). Only men with COPD reported symptoms of urgency associated with dyspnoea, and this did not vary between men with and without urinary incontinence (P=0.138). In men with COPD, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) was lower in those with urinary incontinence compared with those without urinary incontinence {mean 38 [standard deviation (SD) 14] % predicted vs 61 (SD 24) % predicted; P=0.002}. The impact of urinary incontinence did not differ between the two groups (P=0.333).

Conclusions: Incontinence is more prevalent in men with COPD than in men without lung disease. The prevalence of urinary incontinence increases with greater disease severity, as reflected by lower FEV₁. Screening for urinary incontinence should be considered in men with COPD and compromised lung function.