Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) is a clinical syndrome that includes the many complex health and performance consequences of low energy availability (EA) in athletes, when there is insufficient caloric intake to meet exercise-related energy expenditure and to support basic physiologic functions. There is a high prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in female athletes and it is more common in female athletes than non-athletes. The objective of this study was to determine if low EA is associated with UI in a population of adolescent and young adult female athletes and to evaluate for an association between sport categories and UI.
1000 nulliparous female patients, ages 15-30 years, presenting to a sports medicine subspecialty clinic, provided informed consent/assent to participate in a cross-sectional study involving a comprehensive survey, anthropomorphic measurements, and medical record review. Low EA was defined as meeting ≥1 criterion: self-reported history of eating disorder/disordered eating (ED/DE), and/or a high score on the Brief Eating Disorder in Athletes Questionnaire (BEDA-Q), and/or a high score on the Eating Disorder Screen for Primary Care (ESP). UI was assessed using questions adapted from the International Consultation on Incontinence-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF), questions regarding timing of UI onset/duration, and a binary question regarding UI during sport activities. A total of 36 sport types were included in the survey and sub-divided into categories.
Of the 1000 female athletes surveyed, 165 (16.5%) reported a history of experiencing UI during athletic activities. ICIQ- UI-SF responses indicated that 14% (137/1000) of the cohort experienced slight incontinence, 4% (35/1000) moderate incontinence, and 2 athletes experienced severe incontinence. There was a significant difference between UI categories in age (p = 0.01), low EA (p < 0.001), and sport category (p < 0.001). Females who had low EA had twice the likelihood (OR = 1.97; 95% CI = 1.39 to 2.81; p < 0.001) of UI compared to those with adequate EA, controlling for sports category and menstrual dysfunction. Females who participated in high impact sports were 4.5 times more likely (OR = 4.47; 95% CI = 2.29 to 8.74; p < 0.001) to have had UI compared to females who participated in ball sports, controlling for EA and menstrual dysfunction.
UI during athletic activities is a common problem among nulliparous adolescent and young adult female athletes, occurring in 16.5% of female athletes surveyed. UI was significantly associated with low EA across all sport categories. Sport type was significantly associated with UI, with the highest impact sport group demonstrating a higher prevalence and symptom severity compared to other sport categories.
Journal of pediatric urology. 2021 Jan 30 [Epub ahead of print]
Kristin E Whitney, Bryan Holtzman, Danielle Cook, Stuart Bauer, Giovana D N Maffazioli, Allyson L Parziale, Kathryn E Ackerman
Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedics, Boston Children's Hospital, 319 Longwood Avenue, Ste 6, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. Electronic address: ., Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedics, Boston Children's Hospital, 319 Longwood Avenue, Ste 6, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. Electronic address: ., Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedics, Boston Children's Hospital, 319 Longwood Avenue, Ste 6, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. Electronic address: ., Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Urology, Boston Children's Hospital 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. Electronic address: ., Departamento de Obstetricia e Ginecologia, Hospital Das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua, Av. Dr. Enéas Carvalho de Aguiar, 255 - Cerqueira César, São Paulo, SP, 05403-000, Brazil. Electronic address: ., Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedics, Boston Children's Hospital, 319 Longwood Avenue, Ste 6, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing 525 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA. Electronic address: ., Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopedics, Boston Children's Hospital, 319 Longwood Avenue, Ste 6, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, 457B, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. Electronic address: .