Assessment of Temperament in Women with Stress Urinary Incontinence: An Observational Study

This study aimed to explore whether the temperament of the body is related to and can cause stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in reproductive-age women. Urinary incontinence (UI) is defined as involuntary loss of urine. SUI is defined as ‘‘the complaint of involuntary leakage on effort or exertion, or on sneezing or coughing.” In Unani medicine, one of the causes that lead to UI is temperament (mizaj) of the body or organ.. This study was a single-center, observational trial conducted at the outpatient department of the National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore, India, between March 2012 and November 2012. A total of 60 women presenting with SUI for at least 6 months, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, were recruited. Their general temperament was assessed using a prestructured proforma designed for assessing temperament that was based on 10 determinants (alamat ajnase ashra). Of 60 patients, sanguine and phlegmatic temperament was found in 31 (52%) and 29 (48%) patients, respectively. None of the patients had choleric and melancholic temperament. Maximum number of women were in the age group of 31–40 years (n = 38, 63%) in which 55% (n = 17) and 72% (n = 21) had sanguine and phlegmatic temperament, respectively. All patients had anterior vaginal wall prolapse. It is concluded that SUI occurs in reproductive-age women with sanguine and phlegmatic temperament. Also, using objective parameters for temperament assessment and conducting randomized studies with a larger sample size are recommended.