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Review
. 2024 Dec 4;12(23):2440.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare12232440.

The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Stress Urinary Incontinence Among Women in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mohammed Abdullah Saad Alhamoud  1 , Fatimah Ali Julaih  2 , Hadi Dhafer Hadi Al-Aqil  3 , Naif Abdullah S Almalki  4 , Faisal Abdullah G Alharthi  4 , Ahmed Abdullah Alghamdi  5 , Sulaiman Ali K Alshehri  5 , Ahmad Saeed Alqhtani  5 , Mohammed Abdulrahman Alasiri  5 , Abdullah Sulaiman Alaqil  6 , Bandar Naffaa Alhumaidi  7 , Ariana Saraiva  8 , Conrado Carrascosa  9 , António Raposo  10
Affiliations
Review

The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Stress Urinary Incontinence Among Women in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mohammed Abdullah Saad Alhamoud et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a prevalent condition among women in Saudi Arabia, characterized by involuntary urine leakage during physical activities that increase abdominal pressure, such as coughing or sneezing. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the prevalence of SUI and identify its key risk factors.

Methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted for studies published up to July 2024, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines.

Results: Ten observational studies involving 18,245 participants met the inclusion criteria, and study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effects model was employed for meta-analysis, with subgroup and sensitivity analyses performed to address heterogeneity. The pooled prevalence of SUI was 26% (95% CI: 14-41%, I2 = 99%, p < 0.001), with rates ranging from 3.3% to 50%. Subgroup analysis showed a prevalence of 17% (95% CI: 1-42%, I2 = 99%, p < 0.001) in the general population and 33% (95% CI: 19-48%, I2 = 99%, p < 0.001) in specific groups, such as postpartum women and those with low back pain. Significant risk factors included age, obesity, high parity, and chronic conditions like diabetes. Despite high heterogeneity, sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings.

Conclusions: The findings underscore the need for public health strategies focused on weight management, pelvic floor rehabilitation, and increased awareness about SUI. Effective preventive measures could significantly reduce the burden of SUI and improve the quality of life for women in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; meta-analysis; prevalence; risk factors; stress urinary incontinence; women.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram. PRISMA = the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence among women in Saudi Arabia [11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence among women in Saudi Arabia (after excluding outliers) [12,13,15,16,17,18,19,20].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence among women from the general population in Saudi Arabia [11,12,15,16].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot of the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence among specific groups (non-general population) of women in Saudi Arabia [13,14,17,18,19,20].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Baujat plot highlighting study contributions to heterogeneity and influence on the overall SUI prevalence estimates [11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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