Urinary incontinence in women: Direct costs of routine care. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology Subak, L. n., Van Den Eeden, S. n., Thom, D. n., Creasman, J. M., Brown, J. S. 2007; 197 (6): 596.e1–9

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the direct costs of routine care for urinary incontinence (UI) in community-dwelling, racially diverse women.In the Reproductive Risks for Incontinence Study at Kaiser population-based study, 528 women with UI weekly or more quantified resources that were used for UI. Routine care costs were calculated with the use of national resource costs ($2005). Potential predictors of these outcomes were examined by multivariable linear regression.Mean age was 55 +/- 9 (SD) years. Among women with weekly UI, 69% reported incontinence-related costs. Median weekly cost was $1.83 (25%-75% interquartile range [IQR], $0.50, $5.23), increasing from $0.93 (IQR, $0, $3) for moderate to $7.82 (IQR, $5, $37) for very severe incontinence. Costs that increased with incontinence severity (P < .001) and body mass index (P < .001) were 2.2-fold higher for African American versus white women (P < .0001) and 42% higher for women with mixed versus stress incontinence (P < .05).Women pay a mean of >$250 per year out-of-pocket for UI routine care. Effective incontinence treatment may decrease costs.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.04.029

View details for PubMedID 17880904