Insight Into Cost Burden, Prevalence of Incontinence

Newswise — Incontinence is a very common condition affecting millions of people worldwide. This year, the AUA will present a briefing Incontinence: Updates on Cost Burden, Prevalence and Treatment to the press with new research on the condition. Although not traditionally in the lime-light, this year's abstracts on urinary incontinence (UI) offer innovative studies revealing important information for anyone affected with UI. Moderated by AUA Spokesperson Kristene Whitmore, M.D., the briefing will take place on May 23 at 11:00 a.m.

Highlighted abstracts include:

The Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence Among Community-Dwelling Adults: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES): Jennifer Tash Anger, M.D. and her team studied a national sample of women to find that the overall prevalence of urinary incontinence was 38 percent. This value varies considerably with age, race and ethnicity.

Treatment of Urinary Incontinence: Increasing Expenditures for Female Medicare Beneficiaries: Jennifer Tash Anger, M.D. and her associates analyzed Medicare claims data from 1992, 1995 and 1998 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. They found that expenditures for urinary incontinence among female Medicare beneficiaries 65 years of age and older nearly doubled from 1992 to 1998, from $128.1 million to $234.4 million. This significant increase was due primarily to increased aggregate costs for physician office visits and ambulatory surgery, but because Medicare costs do not include the costs of pads or prescribed medicines, the complete financial burden of incontinence is underestimated.

Prevalence of Urinary Incontinence in Community Dwelling Men: A Cross Sectional Nationwide Epidemiologic Survey: Maria Victoria Cruz Estanol, M.D. and her group examined an area of urinary incontinence (UI) that is not commonly looked at " UI involving the male population. A total of 29,903 households took part in a mailed questionnaire, of which 1,923 men had reported incontinence symptoms in the last 30 days. It was found that the prevalence rates of UI increases with age among men.

Cadaveric Fascial Prolapse Repair with Sling (CaPS): Maximum Five-Year Prospective Follow-Up: Sarah A. Rueff, M.D. and her associates examined 216 women, with a mean age of 66 years to obtain data on the efficacy of using non-frozen cadaveric fascia lata and transvaginal bone anchors for cystocele repair and sling (CaPS procedure). Results with the transvaginal cystocele repair using non-frozen cadaveric fascia lata were encouraging, with 79 percent of patients reporting that they were satisfied with their results. However, incontinence results using the fascial sling were less satisfactory.

"Any reporter interested in incontinence " male or female " should not miss this discussion," said Dr. Whitmore. "The studies presented during this panel offer new information on a prevalent problem."

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association, Inc. is the pre-eminent professional organization for urologists, with more than 13,000 members throughout the world. An educational nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the AUA pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care by carrying out a wide variety of programs members and their patients, including UrologyHealth.org, an award-winning on line patient education resource, and the American Urological Association Foundation, Inc., formerly AFUD.

For full copies of abstracts, vist http://www.aua2005.org or contact the Press Room.