Prevalence of urinary incontinence subtypes in women

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is present in the lives of a considerable number of women worldwide. This condition and its associated factors have been sufficiently investigated in recent years, however, prevalence estimates are still not fully clarified, as UI is seen as stigmatizing in a cultural context, and the search for treatment is not always considered by affected individuals. So, this dysfunction and its subtypes must be better understood so that it is possible to alleviate its consequences. Objective: To identify the prevalence of urinary incontinence subtypes, in women from a reference clinic in a public hospital in Curitiba, PR, Brazil. Methods: This was an observational and analytical study, with 227 women affected by UI, evaluated by means of a questionnaire including sociodemographic and general health information, in addition to defining the UI subtype. The SPSS version 25 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The patients presented a mean age of 60.33 ± 12.26 years. Mixed UI was the prevalent subtype (87.2%; n = 198), followed by stress (7.5%; n = 17), and urge (5.3%; n = 12). Among women with mixed UI, 60.6% had only completed elementary school, 59.1% were housewives, and 87.6% had experienced two or more pregnancies. Conclusion: Outlining UI subtypes, and the general and obstetric characteristics of the studied population enables the development of coping strategies for this condition, ranging from planning, diagnosis and treatment, to costs and public health management.