Correlation Between Insulin Resistance and Urinary Incontinence in Female Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are at a high risk of developing urinary incontinence; however, its pathogenesis is unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between insulin resistance and urinary incontinence and its severity in female patients with T2DM.

A total of 366 women with T2DM aged ≥18 years were enrolled in this study. Insulin resistance was evaluated by the homeostasis model insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index and urinary incontinence was assessed by the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF). All subjects were divided into four groups according to HOMA-IR quartiles. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between insulin resistance and urinary incontinence and its severity.

Among the 366 patients, 186 (50.8%) had urinary incontinence. The prevalence of urinary incontinence increased significantly with HOMA-IR quartiles (p < 0.001). Adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that compared with HOMA-IR ≤ 1.76, 2.81 ≤ HOMA-IR ≤ 4.27 was associated with a significantly increased risk of moderate incontinence (OR = 2.197, 95% CI 1.031–4.683, p = 0.041), and HOMA-IR ≥ 4.28 was associated with a significantly increased risk of severe incontinence (OR = 5.699, 95% CI 1.685–19.276, p = 0.005). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that HOMA-IR was the independent risk factor for urinary incontinence (p < 0.001).

Higher levels of insulin resistance are associated with urinary incontinence and its severity in female patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.