Urinary incontinence and quality of life among elderly women visiting the general practitioner

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a health problem prevalent in various age groups. Due to anatomical and physiological peculiarities, this problem is more common in women, and especially in ageing stage of life. Based on scientific literature, the prevalence of urinary incontinence is 19% to 65% for elderly women. Urinary incontinence influences various aspects of quality of life and daily life. The aim of study was to evaluate the urinary incontinence, its risk factors and incontinence-related quality of life among elderly women visiting the general practitioner. The objectives of study: to evaluate the prevalence of urinary incontinence among elderly women; to determine the risk factors of urinary incontinence and their prognostic value among elderly women; to evaluate the quality of life of elderly women; to establish the associations between the urinary incontinence and quality of life among elderly women; to compare a generic and specific questionnaires for evaluation of incontinence-related quality of life among elderly women. The tool of measurement in the study was a questionnaire comprised of four previously validated at international level questionnaires: MMSE – mini-mental state examination, used for evaluation of cognitive function; GDS – geriatric depression scale, used for evaluation of depressiveness; SF-36v2 – generic questionnaire of quality of life; I-QOL – specific questionnaire of quality of life, constructed for subjects with urinary incontinence. I-QOL was translated to Lithuanian and used in Lithuania for the first time