Prevalence, Incidence and Obstetric Factors' Impact on Female Urinary Incontinence in Europe: A Systematic Review

Objectives: A systematic review of the published data on the prevalence, incidence and risk factors of female urinary incontinence (UI) and obstetric treatment of UI in Europe. Data Sources: Epidemiologic studies were sought via PubMed to identify articles published in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian between 2000 and September 30, 2010, in Europe. Results: The prevalence of UI ranged from 14.1 to 68.8% and increased with increasing age. Significant risk factors for UI in pregnancy were maternal age >= 35 years and initial body mass index, a family history of UI and parity. UI in women who delivered 'at term' ranged from 26 to 40.2%, with a remission rate of 3 months after childbirth of up to 86.4%. Pelvic floor muscle training may help to prevent postpartum UI in primiparous women without UI during pregnancy. Conclusion: UI definition, outcome measures, survey methods and validation criteria are still heterogeneous, and thus it is difficult to compare data and impossible to draw definite conclusions. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel