PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF URINARY INCONTINENCE IN HEALTHY SAUDI WOMEN

Background: Urinary incontinence is a common medical disease in which patient cannot control leakage of urine. There are differences in the prevalence of urinary incontinence among nations. The risk factors for urinary incontinence including increasing age, medical co-morbidity, obesity, smoking, gender and previous hysterectomy. Objective: To assess the prevalence of urinary incontinence in Saudi females and its associated risk factors. Methods: A cross-section study based on a survey distributed among 500 Saudi females with minimum age 25 years old during the period November – December 2018 in Saudi Arabia. Results: 500 female participants filled the surveys, most of the participants aged 25-35 years old. The prevalence of urinary incontinence was (12.8%). Almost half of the participants were overweight. Most of the females have two children and most of them also delivered vaginally. It was found that old participants have higher prevalence of urinary incontinence than younger age. Conclusion: the prevalence of urinary incontinence was slightly high (12.8%). The most common risk factors for urinary incontinence were older age, obesity, menopause and high number of parity. Keywords: Urinary Incontinence, Prevalence, Risk Factors Females, Saudi Arabia