Health-related quality of life in women aged 20-64 years with urinary incontinence

Introduction and hypothesis: Urinary incontinence (UI) in women is a frequent and invisible clinical situation that affects several aspects in the lives of patients. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of urinary incontinence on different dimensions of quality of life.

Methods: Cross-sectional observational study. The sample brings together 381 women living in the Metropolitan Region of Chile, who answered a survey between June 2020 and June 2021, with questions about the sociodemographic situation, obstetric history and the EQ5D-3L questionnaire Chilean version and urinary incontinence variables. For the analysis of association between variables were used a correlation coefficient and logistic regressions.

Results: The mean age of the sample was 39.9 (SD: 12.6) years, with 68.5% of multiparous women and 42.5% had a history of vaginal delivery. Fifty percent of the respondents belong to a medium-high socioeconomic level according to the health insurance proxy. The analysis adjusted for age, health insurance and obstetrics variables showed that women with a frequency of moderate/severe urine loss had a 72% greater probability of suffering from moderate/severe pain/discomfort compared to women with nothing/little urine loss. In turn, the self-perception of affectation of urine loss was significantly associated with problems in the dimensions of mobility, anxiety/depression and health status.

Conclusions: This research contributes with evidence that makes visible the affectation on physical and psychological dimensions in women with urinary incontinence, allowing decision-makers to prioritize resources and design health programs that include clinical management.