Urinary incontinence in women: prevalence rates, risk factors and impact on quality of life

Objectives: to determine the prevalence, risk factors of urinary incontinence (ui) and to assess its impact on the quality of women’s life. methods: this cross-sectional study was performed 1050 female participants aged between 20-80 years. a questionnaire form, including the socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors and the “international consultation on incontinence questionnaire-short form” were used for the data collection. results: the mean age of women was 48.80±11.53 years. the prevalence of ui was 44.6%. the distribution of the types of ui was 31% stress incontinence, 47.4% urge, and 33.1% mixed type. although 95.5% of the women reported a negative impact on the quality of life, admission to a health center was only 63.9%, and 64.7% of the women had not received any medical help. the statistical analysis revealed that menopause, constipation, hypertension, diabetes, family history and parity are associated with ui as risk factors. conclusion: we suggest that in the early diagnosis and treatment of urinary incontinence (ui), mental, educational and psychosocial support should be given to patients together with medical therapy