[Prevalence and quality of life in women with urinary incontinence. A population base study]

To determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence and quality of life in relation to health in Mexican women between 20 and 80 years old in Mexico City.

The present is an observational, transverse and descriptive study. The questionnaire consisted of 3 parts: The first was a questionnaire from the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form, which was used to study of the prevalence of the disease. The second was the incontinence and quality of life questionnaire and the third was the EuroQol questionnaire. The last two investigated the impact of urinary incontinence on the quality of life in relation to health.

The questionnaire was applied to 80 patients. The average prevalence was 46.5%. Women with urinary incontinence have a higher body mass index than those who are continent. Likewise, women with urinary incontinence were more likely to be overweight or to have type I, II and III obesity. Women with urinary incontinence had also a higher number of pregnancies and vaginal deliveries than continent women. Incontinent women reported a low quality of life in the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form and the incontinence and quality of life questionnaire (8.8 +/- 3.3, 77.2 +/- 21.7, respectively), with a limitation on activity of 75.1 +/- 21.2, a psicosocial impact of 83.4 +/- 21.8 and social embarrassment of 69.5 +/- 27.3. Women with urinary incontinence reported a lower quality of life index in the EuroQol questionnaire in relation to health than continent women.

Psychosocial evaluation shows that urinary incontinence in women is associated with a lesser quality of life.