Impact of Urinary Incontinence on Physical Performance and Quality of
Life (QOL) among a Group of Elderly in Cairo
Abstract
Objectives: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common disorder that
particularly affects the elderly population worldwide. UI can be
associated with poor quality of life (QOL) in this vulnerable
population, as it leads to limitation in both their physical and social
activities of daily life. Additionally, it has a psychological and
economic burden on individuals, health care services and society. This
study was performed to measure the frequency of UI among the elderly and
to determine its impact on the overall QOL, physical performance and
activities of daily living. Participants and Methods: A cross-sectional
study was performed in four Primary Health Care centres (PHCs) of
El-Obour City. Data collection was done weekly on randomly chosen days.
All elders aged 60 or above, who attended the PHCs on those days, were
included. Results: The overall frequency of UI was 38% among the
studied elderly. UI ranged from mild (12.3%) to moderate (57.9%) and
severe (29.8%). Among incontinent participants, the frequency in men
was 47.4% and in women was 52.6%. The frequency of stress, urge, mixed
and other UI were 7%, 33.3%, 40.4% and 19.3% respectively.
Incontinent elderly had significantly lower QOL as regards mental and
physical indices than their continent counterparts. UI severity was
inversely related to physical performance. Conclusion: UI has a
high-frequency rate among the elderly population, and has a significant
impact on all aspects of QOL especially their physical performance.
Keywords: Urinary Incontinence, ICIQ, Physical Performance, Quality of
Life, elderly.