RESUMO
INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Our purpose was to determine prevalence, type, and risk factors of urinary incontinence (UI) and their impacts on quality of life (QoL) of women in Turkey. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 150 women aged 18-80 years at the Yildirim Beyazit University Hospital's Gynecology Outpatient Clinic in Turkey between May 2013 and September 2013. Data were collected using an individual information form and an incontinence QoL questionnaire (I-QOL). Following data distribution, we used the Mann-Whitney U test, Bonferroni-corrected Kruskal-Walis H test, logistic regression analysis, Fisher's exact test, and the chi-square test. RESULTS: Mean age of the study population was 48.7 ± 14.3 years and UI prevalence 86.7 %. The distribution of UI types was 37.7 % stress incontinence (SUI), 3.1 % urge (UUI), and 59.2 % mixed (MUI). I-QOL general average was 56.7 ± 23.28 (min 22, max 110). Most women had experienced UI for at least 5 continuous years and reported a negative impact on QoL; 43.2 % of incontinence women had not received medical therapy. Postmenopause, uterine prolapsus, episiotomy, use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), smoking, caffeine intake, family history of UI, macrosomia, and multiparity were risk factors for UI (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, the prevalence of UI in women was substantial, and UI had a significantly negative impact on all aspects of QoL. However, these women had not sought medical help for the problem. Therefore, health professionals should query women of all ages about symptoms of this prevalent condition and offer treatment if it is detected.
