ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study was performed to identify the prevalence and type of urinary incontinence (UI) after a stroke, to find the differences in urinary symptoms according to continence or incontinence, and to find the degree of impact of UI on daily life. METHOD: For data collection, we had a structured interview with a questionnaire. The subjects were 239 post stroke patients. RESULTS: Among the subjects(mean age: 65 +/- 10), 66.1 percent had an infarction, and 25.5 percent had a hemorrhage. And 26.4 percent of subjects were within 2 weeks and 28.9 percent from 1 year to 5 years since their episodes of a stroke. Forty five point six percent of subjects had various types of UI: urge 25.7 percent, stress 14.7 percent, functional 20.2 percent, and mixed 39.4 percent. There were significant differences in frequency, nocturia, decreased stream, and incomplete emptying between the incontinent and continent groups. Subjects reported UI influenced various aspect of daily life, 54.1 percent as cause of distress, 53.2 percent on overall quality of life, and 40.4 percent on sleep. The Mixed UI, including urge UI, had higher impact on daily life than others. CONCLUSION: There was a high prevalence of UI, mixed, urge, and functional type as most prevalent, and it had a strong impact on daily life of post stroke patients.