Introduction and hypothesis: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is in part attributed to qualitative and quantitative changes in connective tissue of the urogenital tract. We examined the association of collagen type I a1 (COLIA 1) Sp1 polymorphism with the risk of SUI.
Methods: Forty-five postmenopausal women suffering from urodynamically verified SUI (study group) were compared to 45 healthy volunteers (control). DNA was extracted from peripheral blood. The genotyping concerning the type 1 a1 collagen gene Sp1 polymorphism was performed with polymerase chain reaction.
Results: The polymorphic T allele was overrepresented in the SUI patients (63.2% versus 36.8%, p = 0.016). Odds ratio for SUI in women harboring the T allele was 2.19 (95% CI 1.149-4.176) compared to women with the wild-type genotype.
Conclusions: The COLIA1 Sp1 polymorphism is associated with increased prevalence of stress urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women.