A questionnaire on quality of life in female urinary incontinence

Objective: This study assesses the influence of incontinence on quality of life by means of a questionnaire and sets that in relation to urodynamit. c diagnosis and the loss of urine measured by the pad test. Methods: 59 patients received a questionnaire for self-assessment of urinary leakage and influence of urinary loss on different daily activities. The impact score was calculated by 21 questions each with 0 to 3 points. Results: 10.2% of the questionnaires were not completed in spite of thorough revision of the questionnaire for easy appreciation. Our observations indicate a greater impairment of self-perception and daily activities than of social relationships. Patients with stress incontinence had a significantly lower impact score according to the questionnaire compared with patients suffering from detrusor instability (35.4 vs. 49.3). Furthermore, an increase in impact score according to the degree of stress incontinence could be demonstrated. This correlation was not found in patients with detrusor instability. The analysis of correlation between impact score and loss of urine in pad-test did not yield a correlation on the 5% level. Conclusion: A considerable part of patients had a higher degree of impact than would correspond to the degree of objective incontinence. This suggests that subjective experience indicates a higher degree of incontinence than objective clinical methods could prove. The urogynaecological examination considers the patient's situation at a certain point whereas a questionnaire with subjective statements gives a review over a long time of impairment by loss of urine. This emphasises the Value of this additional information, so that it seems advisable to registrate the impact as an independent parameter for the assessment of patients suffering from incontinence.