Research Links Urinary Incontinence to Heart Disease
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A University of Iowa-led research team has found that urinary incontinence may be associated with a greater risk for cardiovascular disease in women.
This research is published in the journal Preventive Medicine.
Urinary incontinence — the loss of bladder control — is a common condition, especially in older adults. Previous studies have stated that it can affect between 38% and 60% of women. The researchers aimed to find out whether urinary incontinence was linked to a decline in physical activity, which can lead to a host of health issues, including greater risk for cardiovascular disease.
In the study, the researchers analyzed medical records over two years from more than 20,000 female patients in the Hartford Healthcare system in Connecticut. Of those patients, 5.4% reported through a questionnaire to have urinary incontinence. All patients were asked to rate their level of physical activity in the questionnaire.
The researchers found that the respondents with urinary incontinence did not report engaging in less physical activity than those who did not have the condition. But the team did find an association between patients with urinary incontinence and cardiovascular disease risk factors or events, such as dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.
“There is an association between incontinence and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk,” the study authors write. “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.”
Hence, it was concluded that incontinence was not associated with MVPA classification but was associated with inactivity related CVD risk factors and cardiometabolic comorbid conditions. Future studies should investigate potential mechanisms of this association including incontinence severity, activity intensity, and chronic inflammation.
Ref: VanWiel L L, Carr L J et al. Associations of urinary incontinence, physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk among women in the United States. Preventive Medicine; Volume 194, May 2025, 108277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2025.108277
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