Prevalence of urinary incontinence in women and impact on quality of life: French regional survey

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common condition. The goal of our study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of UI and impact on quality of life, among women in the general population and in patients consulting gastroenterologists and gynecologists of the Rhone-Alpes area, France. In the first part of the study, a questionnaire was sent to a sample of 2,800 people selected randomly from the electoral roll. In the second part of the study, patients were randomly selected among those attending gynecology and gastroenterology consultations. UI was defined as the complaint of any involuntary leakage of urine. For the first part of the study, a total of 376 questionnaires were analyzed: the prevalence of UI was 62%. For the second part, 83 physicians returned 664 valid questionnaires. UI prevalence was 65%. In both populations, the quality of life was significantly lower in women with UI. Factors significantly associated with UI included: age, body mass index (BMI), parity and vaginal delivery, and anal incontinence. The present study confirms the high prevalence of UI in French women, and its detrimental impact on quality of life.