Urinary incontinence, the hidden health problem of Cretan women: report from a primary care survey in Greece.
OBJECTIVE
The prevalence of urine leakage and care-seeking rates of women 35-75 years of age who visited GPs in two rural areas of Crete were investigated.


METHODS
All the women who visited their family physician in two primary care units during the period of August to November 1997 (N = 251) were asked if they had experienced symptoms of involuntary urine leakage. A set of questions was addressed to the women who replied positively.


RESULTS
Sixty-nine of the 251 women (27.5%) reported symptoms of involuntary urine leakage, and among the incontinent women 11 (15.9%) had previously contacted the health services about their problem. Only six out of thirty (20%) of the incontinent women who report effects on household activities, social and sexual life had contacted a physician about urinary incontinence (UI). The most common reason reported for not consulting the physicians was that the symptoms were not considered serious (35 women out of 58, 60.3%).


CONCLUSIONS
This study points out the need for further awareness programs for both women and healthcare professionals to be set up in countries like Greece, in which a low care-seeking rate of incontinent women has been reported.
Lionis
C
C
Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece. lionis@med.uoc.gr
Vlachonikolis
L
L
Bathianaki
M
M
Daskalopoulos
G
G
Anifantaki
S
S
Cranidis
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016387:Women's Health