Abstract
Abstract
Introduction. Urinary incontinence (UI) constitutes involuntary leakage of urine and concerns an increasing number of women. It usually occurs in perimenopausal period; however, it may occur any time. Symptoms typical of incontinence cause massive discomfort that can affect the quality of life (QoL).
Aim. The assessment of the QoL in women suffering from UI dependent on sociodemographic variables.
Material and methods. The research encompassed 102 patients of the gynaecological wards of the Independent Clinical Hospital No 1 in Lublin and the Independent Public Clinical Hospital No 4 in Lublin. The inclusion criterion was as follows female patients diagnosed with urinary incontinence and treated in hospital. The study was voluntary and anonymous. The research project was approved by the Bioethics Committee of the Medical University of Lublin (No KE-0254/25/2016). The method of diagnostic survey was applied by means of the authors’ own questionnaire and the King’s Health Questionnaire (KHQ). The statistical analysis of the data results was carried out and p
Results. Age conditioned the QoL in the females researched regarding the influence of the urinary tract symptoms on their general health, partner relations and sleep. The females over 65 years of age showed worse QoL in comparison with the younger ones. Education did not affect the impact of urinary symptoms on the domains of the QoL using the KHQ. The marital status was a variable that influenced the respondents’ QoL. The married women had better QoL than the widowed or divorced ones. The financial situation conditioned the impact of the urinary symptoms on their general health, physical condition and sleep. The females with the average financial situation had worse QoL than those with good financial situation.
Conclusions. The QoL of women with UI depended on their age, marital status and financial situation. The females over 65 years of age who were widowed or divorced with the average financial situation were characterised by worse QoL than the younger and married women with good financial situation.