The Impact of Urinary Incontinence on the Quality of Life in Women.
- Author:
Hee Jin KIM
1
;
Hong Soo LEE
;
Sang Hwa LEE
;
Kyung Won SHIM
;
Heuy Sun SUH
;
Kyoung Ae KONG
;
Hae Jung LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Family Medicine, Ewha Woman's University College of Medicine.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
urinary incontinence;
quality of life
- MeSH:
Female;
Health Surveys;
Humans;
Life Style;
Primary Health Care;
Quality of Life*;
Seoul;
Tertiary Care Centers;
Urinary Incontinence*;
Young Adult;
Surveys and Questionnaires
- From:Journal of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine
2003;24(8):709-714
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Urinary incontinence has a negative impact on the lifestyle of sufferers, affecting not only their physical condition but also their well-being. But only few patients visit doctors for treatment. The purpose of this study was to measure the quality of life in women with urinary incontinence. METHODS: Among the people who visited a tertiary hospital in Seoul for a health exam or primary care during April 2002, we selected 161 women over 20 years old. We measured their quality of life by the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. Excel 2000 statistical program was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The active incontinence group, who experienced urinary incontinence within 1 year, were 48 women and the normal group without urinary incontinence at all were 65 women. The average SF-36 score was 76.5 in total women, 69.0 in active incontinence group, and 81.5 in normal group. The percentage of those seeking treatment was 10.4% and 64.6% of women have never sought help. CONCLUSION: These Results suggest that the incontinent patient had a much lower quality of life than normal women, but there were only few patients who sought treatment.
