Research shows majority of incontinence treatments don't work

April 4 (UPI) -- A study from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden has found the majority of incontinence treatments are ineffective at providing relief of symptoms.

Current treatments for incontinence include pelvic floor exercises, drug treatment and surgery. The study revealed surgery as the most effective treatment for incontinence.

Researchers studied thousands of articles and other scientific documentation on various treatment options of urinary and fecal incontinence in adults worldwide from 2005 to 2015.

"Unfortunately we are not actually curing the condition in that many cases," Ian Milsom, professor of gynecology and obstetrics at the Sahlgrenska Academy and head of the Gothenburg Continence Research Center, or GCRC, at the University of Gothenburg, said in a press release. "Surgery aside, the results delivered are poor. And the problems are only going to get worse in the future because the population, as we know, is aging."

The study showed the percentage of success of treatment in surgery was 82 percent, pelvic floor exercises was 53 percent, drug treatments with 49 percent and the use of bulking agents at 37 percent.

"The results don't look good at all considering the cost in billions that these drugs incur on health care systems," Milsom said. "In contrast surgery on the other hand has become simpler and more effective and is delivering strong results even in the long term."

Milsom found that the studies analyzed did not focus on the elderly or people with neurological conditions even though they are the most likely to experience urinary or fecal incontinence.

The study was published in BMC Medicine.