Curvilinear relationship was found between visceral adiposity index and stress urinary incontinence among US adult women: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to find out the relation between visceral adipose index (VAI) levels and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in adult women.

METHODS

From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2020, females aged 20 or above were identified for this study. Visceral adiposity was determined using the VAI score, and the assessment of urinary incontinence was carried out through a correlation questionnaire. Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression were employed to analyze the relationship between VAI levels and SUI.

RESULTS

Among the 6522 participants, 2672 (41.0%) were reported SUI. Multivariate logistic regression revealed significantly higher odds of SUI with increasing VAI levels (Q4 vs. Q1), adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.53 (CI: 1.29-1.81, p < 0.001). RCS regression indicated a curvilinear relationship between VAI and SUI (p = 0.003). In threshold analysis, aOR for developing SUI was 1.18 (CI: 1.11-1.26, p < 0.001) for participants with VAI < 4.73, suggesting an 18% increased risk of SUI with each unit increase in VAI. No association between VAI and SUI was observed when VAI was ≥4.73.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study has revealed a significant curvilinear relationship between VAI and SUI within a large and representative sample of women. Future research is necessary to evaluate the relationship between the two and explicate the underlying mechanisms of this relationship.