Impact of Urinary Incontinence on Quality of Life among Residents Living in Turkey

To assess the impact of urinary incontinence on the quality of life in Turkish population. This was a cross-sectional study performed on 530 participants admitted to Sevket Yilmaz Research Hospital in Turkey. Quality of life (QoL) was assessed using Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ-7). Frequency and severity of urinary incontinence (UI) were diagnosed by answers to the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form (ICIQ-SF) instrument. The relationship between several demographic data and QoL was examined. The mean age of the attendees was 55.36 ± 10.62 years (range 40-91). A total of 109 (44%) women and 46 (16%) men suffered involuntary urine leakage. QoL changes for all domains showed significant deteriorations. Frequency and severity of UI were negatively associated with the QoL scores. Our results have shown that, UI considerably worsens QoL. Challenge with UI should be priority of any project aiming to promote the quality of life.