Einstein (São Paulo) (Sep 2009)
Assessing quality of life of women with urinary incontinence using the Kings Health questionnaire
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the quality of life of women with urinary incontinence, as well as its association with other demographic and socioeconomic factors that may influence their perception of quality of life. Methods: A total of 50 patients were submitted to the Kings Health questionnaire and to other independent scales to evaluate severity of urinary incontinence, as well as presence and intensity of urinary symptoms. Rresults: One third of women considered their health status bad or very bad. Half of the patients referred that urinary incontinence symptoms greatly affected their quality of life. Patients with symptoms of overactive bladder and mixed urinary incontinence presented statistically higher scores of quality of life in the domain “sleep/mood”. There was no statistical difference between the groups concerning other quality of life domains, sociodemographic factors, and the correlation between bladder problem and general health perception. Cconclusions: Most women with urinary incontinence considered their health status from regular to very bad. The sociodemographic factors did not influence the quality of life of the patients studied. The Kings Health questionnaire showed a negative impact of urinary incontinence on patient’s quality of life.
