Prevalence of double incontinence, risks and influence on quality of life in a general female population

Abstract

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) and anal incontinence (AI) are complaints with impact on quality of life (QOL). Few data are available on prevalence of double incontinence (DI) in the general female population.

Objective: To determine prevalence of UI, AI, and DI, their associations with age, parity, and effects on QOL.

Design, setting, and participants: Cross-sectional study on a general female population, aged 45-85 years.

Measurements: Validated questionnaires measuring pelvic floor dysfunction and QOL. A short questionnaire was used for non-responders. Analyses were performed with Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression.

Results: Response rate was 62.7% (1,869/2,979); 59% of non-responders filled in the short questionnaire (620/1,051). No significant differences in stress urinary incontinence, vaginal bulging, solid stool incontinence and parity were found between responders and non-responders. DI with and without flatal incontinence were reported by 7.7% and 35.4%, respectively. Women with urge urinary incontinence (UUI) alone had an OR of 4.3 (95% CI 2.4-7.9) for liquid stool incontinence, 1.6 (95% CI 0.5-4.9) for solid stool incontinence and 2.4 for flatal incontinence (95% CI 1.5-3.8). Women with AI had an OR of 5.8 (95% CI 1.8-18.2) for UUI. Women with DI including flatus reported significantly poorer QOL. Limitation of the study was the lack of objective clinical validation of symptoms, which may have influenced the real prevalence data.

Conclusions: Most important relation was found between UUI and liquid stool incontinence (OR 4.3). We recommend that clinicians take the history of patients with UUI or mixed urinary incontinence to exclude the co-existence of AI.