Factors influencing self-perceived disease severity in women with stress urinary incontinence combined with or without urge incontinence.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess the impact of patient-perceived disease severity (PPDS) on the quality of life (QoL) of women with urinary incontinence (UI) and to identify factors predicting PPDS.


METHODS
A total of 109 women (mean age 54.9; range 31-77) with stress UI combined with or without urge UI were included in the primary analyses. The incontinence quality of life (I-QoL) devised during the course of this study was used to assess the QOL impact of UI.


RESULTS
PPDS of women with UI increased as I-QoL scores decreased (P<0.001). When analyzed by patient characteristics and objective test results, PPDS increased only with the number of episodes (P=0.005) and pad test weight increased (P=0.010). By multivariate regression analysis, patients who complained of UI "three to four times a day or more" had 6.4-fold higher risk (P=0.027) of perceiving that their symptoms were more severe than those who complained of a UI "one to two times per week or less." Patients with a pad test weight of >25 g had a 4.7-fold higher risk of perceiving their symptoms were more severe than those with a pad test weight of <15 g.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that the frequency of UI episodes and the volume of urine loss are associated with PPDS. In addition, the I-QoL scores deteriorated significantly as the PPDS of incontinence increased. Thus, PPDS may impact on the QoL of women with stress UI combined with or without urge UI.
Oh
Seung-June
SJ
Department of Urology, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Ku
Ja Hyeon
JH
Hong
Sung Kyu
SK
Kim
Soo Woong
SW
Paick
Jae-Seung
JS
Son
Hwancheol
H
D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014463:Ultrasonography; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000523:psychology*; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000523:psychology*; D014554:Urination / Q000502:physiology