Register for New Study Reveals Women Willing To Pay More Than $800 Per Year to Treat or
Resolve Urinary Incontinence
Atlanta (September 16, 2005)—A new study that examines both the economic and
health quality-of-life costs associated with the routine care of urinary
incontinence finds that most women are willing to pay more than $800 per year
for incontinence improvement. The findings of this first-time study were
presented today at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Urogynecologic
Society.
The study, conducted by Dr. Leslee Subak, associate professor of obstetrics,
gynecology and reproductive sciences and of epidemiology at the University of
California – San Francisco, set out to estimate the “costs” of urinary
incontinence. She examined both the economic costs of routine care, such as pads
and additional laundry associated with their failure, as well as the
health-related quality-of-life issues that often are a result of urinary
incontinence in women. The study included more than 300 women from five
different locations around the United States with varying degrees of
incontinence. The group, with a mean age of 56 years, was both ethnically and
economically diverse.
The women were asked to quantify various weekly costs associated with their
incontinence, including supplies as well as additional laundry and dry-cleaning
specifically related to this condition. The figures were multiplied by national
resource costs to determine cost estimates. The study also determined women’s
willingness to pay to achieve 25 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent and 100 percent
improvement in their incontinence symptoms.
The estimated median weekly costs ranged from $0.37 for slight incontinence to
almost $11.00 for severe incontinence. African-American women paid an estimated
80 percent more in incontinence costs and were more willing to pay for
treatments than were Caucasian women.
“Ninety percent of the women in this study reported some economic costs
associated with incontinence,” advised Dr. Subak. “The estimated annual cost was
more than $880 per year for women with severe and very severe incontinence.
Costs also increased with incontinence severity and were 50 percent higher for
women with urge incontinence as opposed to stress incontinence.” Urge
incontinence is an uncontrollable and frequent urge to urinate, often resulting
in urine leakage. Stress urinary incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine
that occurs during physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or
exercise.
“During the course of the study, we discovered that women are willing to pay
more than $800 per year for resolution of incontinence, which is similar to
willingness to pay for improvement of other chronic medical conditions, such as
migraine headaches and acid reflux,” said Dr. Subak.
About the Author
Dr. Leslee L. Subak is associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and
reproductive sciences and of epidemiology at the University of California – San
Francisco. She is a leader in the UCSF Women's Continence Center and a
co-investigator of the NIDDK-sponsored UCSF Specialized Center of Research on
lower urinary tract function in women. She is an expert in clinical, outcomes
and economic research in urinary incontinence. After completing a two-year
clinical research fellowship (1997), Dr. Subak was selected to be a three-year
NICHD-funded Women's Reproductive Health Research Scholar for her work focused
on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of medical care for female
incontinence. Dr. Subak developed and leads a study to evaluate costs, utilities
and cost-effectiveness for the NIDDK-funded Urinary Incontinence Treatment
Network (UITN) and is leading economic evaluations in the NICHD-sponsored
Reproductive Risks for Incontinence Study at Kaiser (RRISK) and the Diagnostic
Aspects of Incontinence Study (DAISy). Dr. Subak has published on several issues
surrounding pelvic floor disorders and incontinence. She is Co-PI of the UCSF
Coordinating Center for the Program to Reduce Incontinence by Diet and Exercise
(PRIDE). Dr. Subak has been an invited member of the Socio-Economic
Consideration Committee at the first, second and third International
Consultations on Incontinence sponsored by the World Health Organization.
About AUGS
The American Urogynecologic Society (AUGS), founded in 1979, is dedicated to
research and education in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, and
to improved care for women with lower urinary tract disorders. The more than
1,100 members of AUGS represent clinicians and researchers from many
disciplines.
The AUGS 26th Annual Scientific Meeting held in Atlanta, September 15-17, 2005,
provides the largest public platform for female pelvic surgeons and researchers
to announce revolutionary treatments, cutting-edge technological breakthroughs
and future research efforts.
