[The relationship between urinary incontinence and eating disorders in female long-distance runners]

To determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence in female long-distance runners and to compare it with the presence or not of eating disorders. Methods - A total of 37 women have completed the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) and the short version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). A one-hour pad test was performed to determine urine loss. Mean values of continuous variables were compared using an independent sample t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test.

23 athletes (62.2%) reported urine loss. The mean of the ICIQ-SF was 4.03 +/- 5.06. There was a significant relation between the 1-hour pad test (p=0.02) and eating disorders (p=0.03).

There was urinary incontinence in female long-distance runners and a correlation with eating disorders. Coaches should improve their knowledge about this problem and establish cooperation with a multidisciplinary team.