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Minerals, trace elements, Vit. D and bone health

Vitamin D and incident urinary incontinence in older adults

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 70, pages 987–989 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

The aim of this study is to determine whether vitamin D status is associated with incident urinary incontinence (UI) among community-dwelling older adults.

Subjects/Methods:

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging is a prospective cohort study of community-dwelling Medicare enrollees. Standardized assessment of UI was conducted using the validated Incontinence Severity Index. The analysis of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels was performed on stored baseline sera. UI was assessed every 6–12 months for up to 42 months. The analyses included multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models.

Results:

Of 350 participants (175 male, 147 black, mean age 73.6±5.8), 54% (189/350) were vitamin D deficient (25(OH)D <20 ng/ml) and 25% (87/350) were vitamin D insufficient (25(OH)D: 20 ng/ml to <30 ng/ml). Among the 187 subjects with no UI at baseline, 57% (107/187) were vitamin D deficient and 24% (45/187) were vitamin D insufficient. A total of 175 of the 187 subjects had follow-up evaluation for incident UI over 42 months, and incident UI occurred in 37% (65/175). After adjustment, cumulative incident UI at 42 months was associated with baseline vitamin D insufficiency (P=0.03) and demonstrated a trend association with deficiency (P=0.07). There was no association between baseline vitamin D status and the time to incident UI.

Conclusions:

These preliminary results support an association between vitamin D and incident UI in community-dwelling older adults. Future studies may target specific at-risk groups, such as men with BPH or women with pelvic floor disorders for evaluation of the impact of vitamin D supplementation on urinary symptoms.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the following: A Consortium Multi-Institutional Collaborative Translational Research Pilot award under grant numbers UL1TR000454 and UL1TR000165 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health and Veterans Health Administration Career Development Awards (CDA-2) to ADM (B6126W) and CPV (1 IK2 RX000747-01). The University of Alabama at Birmingham Study Of Aging was funded through NIA AG15062. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterans Affairs, Birmingham/Atlanta Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Atlanta, GA, USA

    C P Vaughan

  2. Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA

    C P Vaughan, Vin Tangpricha & N Motahar-Ford

  3. Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    C P Vaughan, Vin Tangpricha & N Motahar-Ford

  4. Department of Veterans Affairs, Birmingham/Atlanta GRECC, Birmingham, AL, USA

    P S Goode, K L Burgio, S G Daigle, D T Redden & A D Markland

  5. Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    P S Goode, K L Burgio & A D Markland

  6. Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    P S Goode, K L Burgio & A D Markland

  7. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care, Washington, DC, USA

    R M Allman

  8. School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    D T Redden

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  1. C P Vaughan
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Correspondence to C P Vaughan.

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Vaughan, C., Tangpricha, V., Motahar-Ford, N. et al. Vitamin D and incident urinary incontinence in older adults. Eur J Clin Nutr 70, 987–989 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2016.20

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