title: Quality of life in women with urinary incontinence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the characteristics of urinary incontinence and its impact on the quality of life in adult women with urinary incontinence who presented to a tertiary care clinic of Vojvodina from September 2008 to May 2009 for treatment
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a prospective case-control study. Cases were defined as patients (47) with urinary incontinence symptoms. Controls (50) were defined as patients without urinary incontinence who presented to a tertiary care gynecology clinic for other reasons. Both, cases and controls, completed two questionnaires recommended for the evaluation of symptoms, The Urinary Distress Inventory, and quality of life impact The Urinary Impact Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant correlation between aging (r=0.614; p<0.01), body mass index (r=0.357; p<0.01) and menopause (r= -0.572; p<0.01) and urinary incontinence. All patients had symptoms of stress incontinence, 61.7% had urge incontinence symptoms, 21.3% voiding difficulty and 85.1% dysuria. Ninety-four patients believed that urinary incontinence impaired their quality of life: 50% of patients reported an impaired ability to do household activities, 59.1% avoided social activities, 70.4% reported an impaired ability to travel more than 30 minutes by car or bus, 88.6% avoided leisure activities, 45.5% of patients had impaired emotional health and 34% felt frustrated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The dominant type of urinary incontinence in more than half of the respondents was a mixed type, with moderate to very severe problems. Symptoms of urinary incontinence interfere with the performance of everyday household and social activities, causing the appearance of anxiety, depression and frustration, and in more than 50% of women leads to reduced quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Novi Sad, Serbia. ljiljaseg@eunet.rs
authors.forename: Ljiljana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mladenović Segedi
authors.forename: Dimitrije
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Segedi
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Parezanović Ilić
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology