Quality of life in patients with urinary incontinence

Objective: To assess the quality of life of female patients with urinary stress incontinence (USI) who were attended at the urology department of the University Hospital at Albacete. Method: Between November 2001 and December 2005, 126 patients with USI were surveyed in our hospital using the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), which is a specific instrument to measure the quality of life among female patients with urinary incontinence (UT). Results: The mean age of patients was 57.09 anos (SD: 9.57) and the mean BMI was 28.14 Kg/m(2) (SD: 4.66). The mean evolution of UI was 114.48 months, with a median of 96 months. During the last week of the study period, a total of 73 women (57.94%) had more than 10 urine leaks a day. As regards the number of sanitary towels used a day, 82.5% (104 cases) stated they used less than 6. The urodynamic diagnosis was described as normal in 8 cases (6.3%), 16 cases (12.7%) were diagnosed as mixed urinary incontinence and, finally, 102 cases (81%) suffered genuine USI. The best scores were presented in the Personal Relationships scale with a mean score of 26.8, whereas the worse scores were noted in that of Impact of Urinary Incontinence, whose mean score was 82.96. Generally, the lowest scores (better quality of life) were obtained in the youngest age groups. Scores in the scales of General Health, Impact on daily activities, Impact on physical activity, Impact on social activity and Emotions, were significantly higher in patients who had undergone a histerectomy. Patients whose evolution of urinary incontinence was longer presented lower scores in the Personal Relationships scale (r=0.179; p=0.045). Conclusions: The quality of life of female patients with U.I. is affected, which limits both their physical activity and image. Their quality of life worsens with age, a greater extent of incontinence, greater urinary symptornatology and when episodes of urinary infection are associated.