Increasing body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms, and BMI status varies substantially by gender and Urinary Incontinence subgroup, according to results presented at the American Urological Association 2012 annual meeting.

“This suggests a different mechanism for the higher rate of UI than purely a mechanical stress on the bladder,” researchers led by Karen S. Coyne, PhD, United BioSource Corporation in Chevy Chase, Md., concluded.

In a cross-sectional survey conducted over the Internet in the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden, 10,070 men and 13,178 women were evaluated for urinary symptoms, including urge urinary incontinence (UUI), stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and other forms of leaking.

The investigators found that obesity rates (BMI of 30 kg/m² or greater) were highest among both male and female subjects with symptoms of both UUI and SUI.

In men, obesity was associated with any Urinary Incontinence, Urge Incontinence only, Urge Incontinence and other forms of leaking, and other forms of leaking only. In women, obesity was associated with any Urinary Incontinence, both Urge and Stress Incontinence, Urge Incontinence only, Stress Incontinence only, and Stress Incontinence with other forms of leaking, while being overweight (BMI 25-29.9) was associated with Stress Incontinence only, Urge Incontinence only, and Stress Incontinence with other forms of leaking.

Compared with overweight subjects, the obese group showed an increased prevalence of both Urge  and Stress Incontinence as well as Urge Incontinence only, but not Stress Incontinence only.

“Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for Urinary Incontinence,” the authors reported in a poster presentation. “Men and women who maintain a healthy weight in the normal BMI range may be able to reduce their risk for developing Urinary Incontinence, and those who lose weight may be able to decrease their episodes of Urinary Incontinence.”