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Risk Factors

Risk Factors for Urinary Incontinence

by Ricker Polsdorfer, MD

It is possible to develop chronic urinary incontinence with or without the risk factors listed below. However, the more risk factors you have, the greater your likelihood of developing urinary incontinence. If you have a number of risk factors, ask your doctor what you can do to reduce your risk.

Although there are many different causes of incontinence, the risk factors listed here pertain to the most common types of incontinence.

Conditions

The following conditions increase your risk of developing incontinence:

Age

The risk of incontinence generally increases with age.

Gender

Women are more likely to develop stress incontinence. Men are more likely to develop incontinence related to obstruction and over-filling.

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References:

Beers M. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. 17th ed. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck Research Laboratories; 1999.
Kasper DL, Harrison TR. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 14th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 1998.
Minassian VA, Stewart WF, Wood GC. Urinary incontinence in women: variation in prevalence estimates and risk factors. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;111(2 Pt 1):324-331.
Miu DK, Lau S, Szeto SS. Etiology and predictors of urinary incontinence and its effect on quality of life. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2010;10(2):177-182.
Last reviewed September 2012 by Adrienne Carmack, MD
Last Updated: 09/12/2012

 

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