ABSTRACT

epidemiology, the study of the relationships of various factors determining the frequency and distribution of diseases in a community [1], as applied to the study of urinary incontinence (uI), has advanced over the past several years. However, most of these studies are cross-sectional. A need exists for more longitudinal studies to evaluate the incidence, remission, risk factors, and prevention of this disease process. The methodologies to evaluate the epidemiology of UI vary greatly. Furthermore, there is no consensus on the definition of UI among investigators dealing with this subject. Consequently, there is conflicting information, especially in the prevalence rates. Another major issue in studying UI is the fact that incontinence itself is a condition with many varied types, which can be transient and which can occur in many different segments of the population. students of the epidemiology of UI must therefore account for all these variables when evaluating data from these studies.