The Impact of Urinary Incontinence on the Quality of Life of Women Attending Family Practice, Ismailia Governorate

Objective: To assess impact of urinary incontinence on the quality of life of women attending family practice at Ismailia governorate. Patients and Methods: This is a descriptive cross sectional study to determine the impact of urinary incontinence on the quality of life of 124 women attending family practice center at Ismailia Governorate by using an interview questionnaire. Results: We found that mixed urinary incontinence was the most prevalent among the studied women (45%). The prevalence of stress UI peaked at the 4th decade, whereas urge and mixed UI peaked after the 50th decade. While 70.2% of women didn t consult a physician about their condition. We found that about 71% of the studied group report negative impact on quality of life and 67.8% of the studied women was negatively affected physical health and travel (mobility), followed by social relations (66.2%) then emotional health (62.9%) and that the most prevalent complaint was affection in the ability to pray. Conclusion: UI is a common and often disturbing problem in women, but it does not receive appropriate attention. Our study showed that 71% of the incontinent women had a negative impact on their quality of life and the most affected domains were the physical health and mobility.