Prevalence of urinary incontinence in Brazilian para athletes.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in para athletes in Brazil.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with Brazilian para athletes with physical impairments from all para sports. The data from 86 participants of both sexes (60 males and 26 females) were collected through an online survey that gathered sociodemographic data and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form, from March to July 2023.

Results: The prevalence of UI was 45.3% (n=39), with the average impact on quality of life scored at 6.1±3.5 on a scale of 0-10. Most para athletes reported moderate (43.5%) or severe (38.4%) symptoms. The most common type was mixed UI (46.1%), with an average of 3±1.9 episodes of urinary loss per athlete in the last 4 weeks. Adjusted Poisson regression (controlling for sex, age and level of competition) revealed that para athletes with orthopaedic impairments had a 58% lower prevalence of UI (prevalence ratio=0.42; 95% CI 0.24, 0.83) compared with those with neurological impairments. Furthermore, ordinal regression indicated that para athletes with neurological impairments were 147% more likely to experience a progression from 'severe' to 'very severe' UI (OR=2.47; 95% CI 1.59, 3.93).

Conclusions: UI is highly prevalent among para athletes, particularly those with neurological impairments, underscoring the need for specialised genitourinary healthcare and the need for further treatment and monitoring of the condition. There is a critical need to raise awareness among coaches, healthcare providers and the athletes themselves about UI and its impact to foster the comprehensive well-being of these athletes.