Urinary Incontinence: Economic Burden and New Choices in Pharmaceutical Treatment
Authors: Levy, RA; Muller, N..
Publication: Advances in Therapy, Vol. 23, No. 4. July/August 2006, 556-573. [This file is posted here with permission of Health Communications Inc., the publisher of Advances in Therapy®. It is provided for individual use only and may not be used for commercial distribution.]
In the year 2000, an estimated 17 million community-dwelling adults in the United States had daily urinary incontinence (UI) and an additional 33 million suffered from the overlapping condition, overactive bladder. Estimates of the total annual cost of these conditions range up to $32 billion; the largest components are management costs and the expenses associated with nursing home admissions attributable to UI. Until recently, pharmaceutical therapy for UI has been limited, especially because the adverse effects of available agents resulted in poor adherence to treatment regimens. Recent innovations in molecular design and new dosage forms of UI medications offer the promise of fewer and less severe adverse effects and, thus, better treatment outcomes for patients. New pharmacologic treatment options for UI have the potential to allow greater independence for older persons who reside at home and to delay or avoid the costs of admission to long-term care facilities.
Access to these new medications for patients enrolled in public and private health care plans also may help to reduce the economic and social burden of UI care.