title: [Risk factors for urinary incontinence in women].
abstract: The goal of this study was to conduct a review of the main papers published between 1983 and 2003 on the main risk factors for urinary incontinence (UI) in women. Thirty-eight publications in English and Portuguese were analyzed using the MEDLINE and LILACS databases as well as through research in libraries. There is evidence that the main risk factors are age, pelvic floor trauma, hereditary factors, race, menopausal status, obesity, chronic diseases, use of some sympathomimetics and parasympatholitics, constipation, smoking, coffee consumption and intense abdominal exercises. Nurses are able to identify these factors through anamnesis and determine interventions for the prevention and treatment of UI, thus contributing to improve incontinent women's quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Divisão de Enfermagem do Centro de Atenção Integral à Saúde da Mulher, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brasil. ro-higa@ig.com.br
authors.forename: Rosângela
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Higa
authors.forename: Maria Helena Baena de Moraes
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Maria José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: dos Reis
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000453:epidemiology*