SummaryAimTo raise awareness on nocturia disease burden and to provide simplified aetiologic evaluation and related treatment pathways.MethodsA multidisciplinary group of nocturia experts developed practical advice and recommendations based on the best available evidence supplemented by their own experiences.ResultsNocturia is defined as the need to void ≥1 time during the sleeping period of the night. Clinically relevant nocturia (≥2 voids per night) affects 2%‐18% of those aged 20‐40 years, rising to 28%‐62% for those aged 70‐80 years. Consequences include the following: lowered quality of life; falls and fractures; reduced work productivity; depression; and increased mortality. Nocturia‐related hip fractures alone cost approximately €1 billion in the EU and $1.5 billion in the USA in 2014. The pathophysiology of nocturia is multifactorial and typically related to polyuria (either global or nocturnal), reduced bladder capacity or increased fluid intake. Accurate assessment is predicated on frequency‐volume charts combined with a detailed patient history, medicine review and physical examination. Optimal treatment should focus on the underlying cause(s), with lifestyle modifications (eg, reducing evening fluid intake) being the first intervention. For patients with sustained bother, medical therapies should be introduced; low‐dose, gender‐specific desmopressin has proven effective in nocturia due to idiopathic nocturnal polyuria. The timing of diuretics is an important consideration, and they should be taken mid‐late afternoon, dependent on the specific serum half‐life. Patients not responding to these basic treatments should be referred for specialist management.ConclusionsThe cause(s) of nocturia should be first evaluated in all patients. Afterwards, the underlying pathophysiology should be treated specifically, alone with lifestyle interventions or in combination with drugs or (prostate) surgery.

The prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) increases with age and can negatively affect quality of life. However, relatively few older people with UI seek treatment. The aim of this study was to explore the views of older people with UI on the process of seeking help. Older people with UI were recruited to the study from three continence services in the north of England: a geriatrician-led hospital outpatient clinic (n = 18), a community-based nurse-led service (n = 22) and a consultant gynaecologist-led service specialising in surgical treatment (n = 10). Participants took part in semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed and underwent thematic content analysis. Three main themes emerged: Being brushed aside, in which participants expressed the feeling that general practitioners did not prioritise or recognise their concerns; Putting up with it, in which participants delayed seeking help for their UI due to various reasons including embarrassment, the development of coping mechanisms, perceiving UI as a normal part of the ageing process, or being unaware that help was available; and Something has to be done, in which help-seeking was prompted by the recognition that their UI was a serious problem, whether as a result of experiencing UI in public, the remark of a relative, the belief that they had a serious illness or the detection of UI during comprehensive geriatric assessment. Greater awareness that UI is a treatable condition and not a normal part of ageing is needed in the population and among health professionals. Comprehensive geriatric assessment appeared an important trigger for referral and treatment in our participants. Screening questions by healthcare professionals could be a means to identify, assess and treat older people with UI.

Background: Evidence-based guidelines for the management of frail older persons with urinary incontinence are rare. Those produced by the International Consultation on Incontinence represent an authoritative set of recommendations spanning all aspects of management. Aims: To summarize the available evidence relating to the management of urinary incontinence in frail older people published since the 5th International Consultation on Incontinence. Materials and Methods: A series of systematic reviews and evidence updates were performed by members of the working group to update the 2012 recommendations. Results: Along with the revision of the treatment algorithm and accompanying text, there have been significant advances in several areas of the management of lower urinary tract symptoms in frail older people. Discussion: The committee continues to note the relative paucity of data concerning frail older persons and draw attention to knowledge gaps and research opportunities. Clinicians treating older people with lower urinary tract symptoms should use the available evidence from studies of older people combined with careful extrapolation of those data from younger subjects. Due consideration to an individual's frailty and wishes is crucial.

Urinary incontinence and lower urinary tract symptoms are highly prevalent in late life and are strongly associated with dementia and frailty. Incontinence is extremely common among those living in long-term care and is most commonly due to urgency incontinence. Although national and international guidelines for continence care exist, they often fail to consider the complex comorbidity found in patients with dementia and are often not followed; continence practices in long-term care may promote rather than prevent incontinence. The majority of those with dementia living in the community can be managed successfully with standard treatments, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological; the expectations and aims of treatment of both the patient and their caregivers should be considered. A dementia diagnosis does not preclude management of incontinence, but treatment options may be more limited in those with advanced dementia who are unable to retain information and modify behaviors. High-quality data to guide the choice of pharmacological agent in those with dementia are lacking. Oxybutynin has been shown to have significant adverse cognitive effects, but data to support the use of trospium, solifenacin, darifenacin, and fesoterodine are limited. No data are available for mirabegron. Neither age, frailty, nor dementia should be considered a barrier to pharmacological management, but consideration should be given to the total anticholinergic load. Evidence to guide the treatment of incontinence in this vulnerable patient group is scarce, and available guidelines adapted for each individual's situation should be applied.

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