Urinary incontinence is a standard grievance amongst adults with severe obesity. The vast majority of adults with urinary incontinence who undergo Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy, the 2 most typical varieties of weight reduction surgery, can reasonably expect enduring improvements in urinary incontinence, in response to a latest study published today in JAMA Network Open.

Wendy C. King, Ph.D., epidemiologist on the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, and colleagues followed 1,227 men and girls enrolled within the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery-2 study. Participants, who had a median age of 46 prior to surgery, were surveyed about urinary incontinence episode frequency before and annually after surgery. Preoperatively, 52% of female participants reported a minimum of weekly urinary incontinence, which fell to twenty% at 12 months 3 postoperative and was 30% at 12 months 7; amongst males, 25% reported a minimum of weekly urinary incontinence preoperatively, which fell to 10% at 12 months 3 and 15% at 12 months 7. The researchers said that, despite a small backslide from years 3 to 7, when some weight regain is common, the continued durability of those improvements is especially notable given the increased risk of urinary incontinence that might be expected attributable to aging.

Obesity is a risk factor for urinary incontinence, which negatively affects quality of life. Durable improvement in urinary incontinence is a crucial good thing about modern-day bariatric surgical procedures, which must be discussed with patients with severe obesity when making treatment decisions.”

Wendy C. King, Ph.D., Epidemiologist, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health

Source:

Journal reference:

King, W.C., et al. (2022) Seven-Yr Durability of Improvements in Urinary Incontinence After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Sleeve Gastrectomy. JAMA Network Open. doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.46057.