Impact of lifetime obesity on urinary incontinence
Judy Choi, Uchio EM, Chang J, Ziogas A, Jiang LH and Anton-Culver H
University of California, USA
: J Surg Clin Pract
Abstract
Obesity is a risk factor in the development of urinary incontinence (UI). Using data from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a long-term, national, and comprehensive health study in the United States, we evaluated the cumulative impact of obesity over a woman’s lifetime on the development of UI. BMI obtained from self-reports, along with weight and height measurements during the study, was used to create a BMI trajectory for each subject, using a quadratic growth model. Cumulative overweight (BMI≥25 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI≥30 kg/m2) duration in years was also calculated. Further analyses using Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the relationship between overweight/obesity duration and the development of UI, adjusting for risk factors. 15,420 women were included in the study, 30.0% of whom developed UI during the study period. Age, race, parity, hysterectomy and oophorectomy status, hormone therapy, and BMI were risk factors for UI. UI was subdivided into stress UI (SUI), urge UI (UUI), and mixed UI (MUI). When controlling for covariates, the duration of overweight years (OWY) and obese years (OBY) was found to be significantly associated with overall UI, SUI, UUI, and MUI (p<0.05). The number of overweight and obese years was associated with an increased risk of developing UI post-menopausally (Table 1). Severity of UI was also associated with higher OWY and OBY. Chronic, increased BMI status is associated with an elevated risk of BMI later in life. Symptom severity also appears to be worsened with duration of increased BMI status.
Biography
Judy Choi obtained her Medical Degree from Cornell University, then completed her urology residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She then completed a fellowship in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at UCLA. She was awarded the Urology Care Foundation Research Scholar Award and a Pelvic Floor Disorders Research Foundation Award during her fellowship. Dr. Choi has been an Assistant Professor in the UCI Department of Urology since 2015, where she has been practicing female urology and voiding dysfunction.
E-mail: judymc1@uci.edu
