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Questionnaire survey on female urinary frequency and incontinence
Author(s) -
TOMOE HIKARU,
SEKIGUCHI YUKI,
HORIGUCHI MASAKO,
TOMA HIROSHI
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
international journal of urology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1442-2042
pISSN - 0919-8172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-2042.2005.01095.x
Subject(s) - medicine , urinary incontinence , quality of life (healthcare) , urinary urgency , overactive bladder , urinary system , gynecology , normal group , questionnaire , physical therapy , urology , family medicine , alternative medicine , nursing , social science , pathology , sociology
Background: Urinary incontinence is a well‐known bothersome symptom in women, which may cause physical and psychological problems. We conducted a questionnaire survey on female urinary incontinence to investigate the disease's impact on the quality of life (QoL), the reasons women don’t seek medical attention and the information they wished to obtain. Patients and Methods: From March to October 2002, a member of the Professional Women's Coalition for Sexuality and Health distributed a questionnaire about urinary frequency and urinary incontinence to women who were attending the lectures hosted by the group. Results: We analysed 262 questionnaires: 158 people belonged to the Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) Group, 36 to the Overactive Bladder (OAB) Group, 22 to the Urinary Frequency (UF) Group and 18 to the Normal Group. ‘Going out’ was most influenced in all three groups with symptoms in their daily life. Compared with the Normal or SUI Group, the QoL in those belonging to the OAB and UF Groups was more deteriorated. The medical institution check‐up rate in the SUI Group was the lowest at 7.1%, bringing down the overall consultation rate to 13.5%. More than 70% of respondents who didn’t have a check‐up said that they did not think it was a problem serious enough to require consultation. Conclusions: Urinary incontinence and frequency impairs women's QoL. It is important to provide information on these diseases and to provide medical treatments that cater to the needs of individual patients.