Introduction: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a chronic disease which occurs in 50% of women with urinary incontinence. It is estimated that in association with a longer life span and ageing of the population, this disorder will become even more prevalent and will exert an increasingly stronger effect on the deterioration of the quality of life.
Objective: The objective of the study is analysis of the factors affecting the occurrence of SUI.
Methodology: The analysis covered 260 patients aged 27-82. The criterion of enrolment into the study was: diagnosis of SUI without disorders of pelvi-genital statics, and negative obstetric history (nulliparous and non-pregnant women). The investigations covered, among other things, the effect surgeries in the area of the lesser pelvis, body mass index (BMI), cigarette smoking, concomitant internal diseases, and hormonal therapy, with consideration of the division into two groups: women before and after menopause. Statistical analysis was performed by means of chi 2 Pearson, t-Student test, and Fisher-Freeman-Halton test for p<0.05.
Results: The results of the analysis unequivocally indicate that the age of patients (p=0.0001), body mass index (BMI) (p=0.0001), and surgical procedure for the removal of the uterus by laparotomy (p=0.0001) exert the greatest effect on the occurrence of SUI in pre- and postmenopausal women. The effect of the remaining etiologic factors is rather controversial.
Conclusion: A comprehensive analysis of risk factors may contribute to the improvement of the results of treatment and quality of life of pre- and postmenopausal patients.