Affiliations: [a] Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Rehabilitation Unit and Research Lab in Biomechanics and Rehabilitation, Piancavallo, Italy
| [b] Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri Spa SB (IRCCS), Istituto Scientifico di Veruno, Veruno, Italy
| [c] Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| [d] Department of Rehabilitation and Functional Recovery, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Vita-Salute University, Milan, Italy
| [e] Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Paolo Capodaglio, MD, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Rehabilitation Unit and Research Lab in Biomechanics and Rehabilitation, Str. L Cadorna, 90, 28824, Piancavallo, VB, Italy. E-mail: p.capodaglio@auxologico.it.
Abstract: INTRODUCTION:Urinary incontinence (UI) is frequently associated with obesity. The prevalence of the different UI types in women with obesity remains scarcely investigated and controversial. OBJECTIVE:The goal of this study was to investigate the prevalence of the different types of UI (stress urinary incontinence, SUI, urge, UUI, or mixed, MUI) in a large sample of female patients with obesity by means of a specific questionnaire and non-invasive tests. METHODS:In this observational study, 248 obese female patients (BMI≥30 Kg/m2, age: 62.8 + 10.9 years) admitted to hospital from April 2019 to September 2019 for a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program were recruited for this study. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire - short form (ICIQ-sf) was used to screen the presence of symptoms of UI and to differentiate the different UI types. Patients with ICIQ-sf score≥4, were asked to undertake the Pad Test for quantifying urine leaks under stress. RESULTS:61.69% of our sample presented UI symptoms. The prevalence of UI appears to be lower in younger age groups (57% in 31–46 years of age and 52% in 47–62 years of age) and higher (69%) between 63 and 79 years of age. MUI was the most frequent form (57.5%), followed by UUI (21.5%) and SUI (20.9%). SUI was most prevalent in younger participants (31–46 years old). CONCLUSION:This study demonstrated that UI has a high prevalence in females with obesity and it is not an exclusive concern of older women. This high prevalence calls for specific rehabilitation interventions within multidisciplinary programs.
Keywords: Urinary incontinence, prevalence, obesity, quality of life, rehabilitation
