UI is common among community-dwelling older adults in São Paulo and is independently associated with cardiovascular disease and functional disability in both sexes, with cognitive status and quality of life additionally associated with UI in women.
UI prevalence was significantly higher in older women than in older men in this São Paulo community-dwelling sample.
Cardiovascular disease was independently associated with UI in both men and women.
Functional disability (BADL impairment) was independently associated with UI in both sexes.
Among women only, cognitive decline was associated with higher odds of UI.
In women, higher SF-12 physical and mental component scores were associated with lower odds of UI.
Osteoarticular disease was independently associated with lower odds of UI in women, a direction that differs from most prior reports.
The cross-sectional design limits causal inference, and longitudinal studies are needed to clarify causal pathways.
This study looked at urinary incontinence (leaking urine) among older adults living in the community in São Paulo, Brazil, using survey data from 1,213 people aged 60 and over. About 30% of women and 18% of men had incontinence, so it was notably more common in women. In both men and women, people with cardiovascular disease or difficulty with basic daily activities (such as bathing or dressing) were more likely to have incontinence. In women, memory and thinking decline was also linked to incontinence, and women with better physical and mental quality-of-life scores were less likely to have it. Unexpectedly, women with bone and joint disease were less likely to have incontinence, contrary to most earlier research. This research suggests that incontinence in older adults is closely connected to general health and day-to-day functioning, not just the bladder. Because the study captured a single point in time, it cannot show whether these conditions cause incontinence or vice versa; longer-term studies are needed to sort out cause and effect.
J. T. Tamanini, L. Diehl, J. L. F. Santos, Y. A. de Oliveira Duarte, M. G. F. Sartori, J. Heesakkers, et al.. (2026). Cardiovascular Disease, Functional Disability, and QoL as Associated Factors With Urinary Incontinence in Older Individuals-Cross-Sectional Study.. Neurourology and Urodynamics. https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.70520