Older adults with Parkinson's disease who suffer from urinary incontinence may benefit from exercise-based behavioural therapy, experts say.

A research team at Emory University and the US Department of Veterans Affairs studied a group of Parkinson's disease patients, all of whom were at least 50 years of age. Participants enrolled in the study between October 2008 and October 2009 and completed behavioural therapy sessions at a rate of five visits over an eight-week period. They were helped to identify, contract and relax their pelvic floor muscles, and given guidance on fluid management.

The researchers found that patients who received therapy benefited from a reduction in the frequency of urinary incontinence and improvements in their quality of life. Lead investigator Dr Camille Vaughan, whose findings are published in Neurology journal, said: "This study demonstrates feasibility and efficacy of pelvic floor muscle exercise-based behavioural therapy to treat urinary incontinence in older adults with Parkinson's. "These results are promising and should be evaluated in randomised controlled trials."

Parkinson's is a long-term neurological condition that affects the coordination of body movements, such as walking, talking and writing.