Urinary Incontinence: Epidemiology and Physiotherapeutic Approaches- A Systematic Review

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a significant health concern affecting both men and women, leading to physical discomfort and psychological distress that can negatively impact quality of life. This condition affects individuals across all age groups and populations worldwide, with various risk factors contributing to its onset. A range of treatment approaches is available for managing UI. Conservative management, particularly physiotherapy, is typically the first line of treatment. This review aims to assess the current prevalence of UI in both men and women and to examine recent evidence-based literature on the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions in managing UI. A systematic search was conducted using electronic databases such as Google Scholar and PubMed, focusing on observational studies and randomized controlled trials published in English between January 2015 and January 2024. A total of 38 studies were included in this review. To assess the quality of prevalence studies, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used, and the methodological quality of the randomized controlled trials was assessed by the Jadad scale. Findings indicate that the prevalence of UI among females ranges from 12% to 100%, while in males, it varies between 14.2% and 75.5%. Pelvic floor muscle training was found to be an effective and commonly used physiotherapy intervention for treating UI in this review. Reported prevalence rates differ widely across studies due to variations in UI definitions and study designs. Pelvic floor muscle training and other physiotherapy techniques play a crucial role in reducing UI symptoms. Various risk factors for both genders were identified. However, further population-based studies and high-quality randomized controlled trials-particularly in male populations-are needed to establish the long-term benefits of physiotherapy interventions.