Incontinence after stroke in a rehabilitation setting: outcome associations and predictive factors

Urinary incontinence (UI) after stroke is common and associated with overall poor functional outcomes. There is controversy regarding which factors contribute to incontinence after stroke and which factors may be predictive of recovery of continence. This study investigated consecutive stroke admissions to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital and evaluated the impact of several pre-selected factors on the presence of UI and its recovery. We also studied the impact of UI on outcome in terms of functional abilities with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and in terms of disposition. UI on admission was associated with severe functional impairment with large infarctions and was probably caused by general severity rather than specific impairment of neuromicturition control. Patients with less impairment (admission FIM > 60) and small vessel strokes were likely to recover continence. UI on admission had a negative impact on outcome.