Urinary incontinence in female Parkinson disease patients. Pitfalls of diagnosis.

There are many causes of urinary incontinence in the female, with stress incontinence reported as the most common. However, a high incidence of detrusor instability has been described in incontinent patients with Parkinson disease. To assess this further, urodynamic studies were performed on 17 female patients with Parkinson disease and complaints of urinary dysfunction. Detrusor instability was demonstrated in the majority of the patients (70.6%). Of the 8 patients with specific symptoms of stress incontinence, 2 were found to have a stable bladder, 3 had a hyporeflexic bladder, and 3 had detrusor instability. Surgical therapy may not be appropriate for all patients in this group. Since it is difficult to determine the causation of urinary incontinence on the basis of symptoms alone, urodynamic studies can be helpful in the evaluation of incontinent patients. This is especially important in female patients with Parkinson disease who may have detrusor instability alone or in addition to anatomic stress incontinence.