Urinary incontinence and overactive bladder in patients with heart failure

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Published on: August 28, 2020

Mary H Palmer1, Sonya R Hardin, Carolyn Behrend

  • 1School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27704, USA. mhpalmer@email.unc.edu

The Journal of Urology
|May 19, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Heart failure patients frequently experience urinary incontinence and overactive bladder. Advanced heart failure, obesity, and fatigue-depression symptoms are linked to overactive bladder, but not sex, age, or diuretic use.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Urology
  • Geriatrics

Background:

  • Heart failure (HF) is a complex condition with significant impact on quality of life.
  • Urinary symptoms, including incontinence and overactive bladder (OAB), are common but often under-recognized in HF patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and associations of urinary incontinence and overactive bladder in patients with heart failure.

Main Methods:

  • A survey assessing urinary symptoms was administered to 408 hospitalized and clinic patients with heart failure.
  • Medical records were reviewed for New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, body mass index (BMI), medications, and fatigue-depression scores.

Main Results:

  • Among 296 patients with complete data, 45% reported urinary incontinence and 57% reported overactive bladder.
  • NYHA Class III/IV heart failure was associated with a 2.9-fold increased odds of OAB.
  • Higher BMI and fatigue-depression composite scores were also significantly associated with OAB.

Conclusions:

  • Urinary incontinence and overactive bladder are highly prevalent in heart failure patients.
  • Late-stage heart failure, higher BMI, and fatigue-depression are risk factors for overactive bladder.
  • No significant association was found between sex, age, or diuretic use and these urinary symptoms.
Abstract

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