Urinary incontinence (UI), involuntary loss of urine, is a common disorder affecting the elderly population worldwide. UI can be associated with poor quality of life (QOL) in this vulnerable population, as it limits both physical and social activities of daily living (ADLs). Additionally, it has a psychological and economic burden on individuals, healthcare services, and society. This study was conducted to measure the frequency of UI among the elderly and determine its impact on the overall QOL, physical performance, and ADLs.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in four primary healthcare centers in El-Obour City. Data collection was performed weekly on randomly chosen days. All elderly individuals aged 60 or above, who attended the centers on those days, were included.
The overall frequency of UI was 38% among the population under study. UI ranged from mild (12.3%) to moderate (57.9%) to severe (29.8%). Among incontinent participants, the frequency of UI was 47.4% in men and 52.6% in women. The frequency of stress, urge, mixed, and other types of UI were 7%, 33.3%, 40.4%, and 19.3%, respectively. Incontinent elderly had significantly lower QOL regarding mental and physical indices than their continent counterparts. UI severity was inversely related to physical performance.
UI has a high prevalence rate among elderly individuals and significantly affects all aspects of QOL, especially physical performance.
International journal of clinical practice. 2021 Oct 03 [Epub ahead of print]
Alaa K El-Gharib, Ayat F Manzour, Reem El-Mallah, Salma M S El Said
Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University., Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University., Physical Medicine, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University., Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University.