Quite often, research turns up a connection between two conditions, which becomes important in keeping people healthy. After all, we’ve said it time and again…

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

That brings us to the subject of urinary incontinence — or the involuntary leakage of urine — a common symptom that affects 50% of adult women and increases with age.

In fact, up to 75% of women over 65 report urine leakage. It’s certainly annoying, but is it dangerous?

Researchers aren’t exactly sure how yet, but it may increase your risk of several cardiovascular disease (CVD) factors…

An odd association that defies explanation — for now

That’s what a study led by Dr. Lisa Van Wiel and a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse aimed to find out…

They analyzed medical records from more than 20,000 female patients in the Hartford Healthcare system in Connecticut over two years.

Health data was gathered and lifestyle habits were also taken into account. Of the women, 5.4% reported on a questionnaire that they had urinary incontinence.

Because of the challenges of being incontinent, the researchers fully expected to find that the women reporting urinary incontinence had reduced levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).

But they did not. The women with urinary incontinence did not report that they engaged in less physical activity than women who did not have the condition.

However, the women with urinary incontinence did have increased CVD risk factors or events, such as dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and stroke.

Considering that previous research has shown physical activity to have a positive effect on lowering CVD factors, the researchers could only assume that there is a yet-to-be-explained association between incontinence and cardiovascular disease risk, and that “Women should be screened for incontinence regularly as it may contribute to CVD risk, and women with CVD risk factors should be screened for undiagnosed incontinence.”

An extra ounce of prevention for women

Though the researchers can not yet pinpoint the cause of the association, the research highlighted an increased risk of inactivity-related CVD risk factors and cardiometabolic comorbid conditions among patients with urinary incontinence — despite no changes in moderate to vigorous activity levels.

They feel that warrants recommending that women with urinary incontinence, particularly those 50 and older, be screened routinely for CVD.

The authors state that “future studies should investigate potential mechanisms of this association, including incontinence severity, activity intensity and chronic inflammation.”

In other words, these factors may help explain the connection between incontinence and CVD.

So, if you’re a woman over 50 with bladder leakage problems, let your doctor know — and not just your gynecologist. Ask about screenings for CVD risk, as well as for diabetes and stroke risk that may be available to you.

Sources:

Researchers report association between urinary incontinence, cardiovascular disease — Science Daily

Associations of urinary incontinence, physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk among women in the United States — Science Direct

Urinary incontinence linked to higher cardiovascular disease risk — Contemporary OB/GYN

Is urine incontinence normal for women? — Mayo Clinic