Urinary symptoms and urodynamic diagnosis of patients in one geriatric department

Fifty five patients between 65 and 89 years old who had their urinary problems assessed by urodynamics study were reviewed. The most common urinary symptom among males was urge incontinence, while retention and urge incontinence occurred with equal frequency among females. The commonest cause of retention in males was bladder outlet obstruction, while atonic neurogenic bladder was the most common cause in females. Urge incontinence was strongly associated with an unstable bladder, small bladder volume and Parkinson's disease. Retention of urine, and an atonic neurogenic bladder strongly correlated with diabetes mellitus. Three patients (out of 31) with unstable bladders also had detrusor external sphincter dyssynergia. Of these, two had Parkinson's disease. Although three patients were thought to have stress incontinence after history and physical examination, only two had stress incontinence with detrusor instability on urodynamic studies. The last patient had atonic bladder with overflow.