Impact of Stress Urinary Incontinence and Overactive Bladder on Quality of Life in Thai Women Attending the Urogynecology Clinic
Rujira Wattanayingcharoenchai MD*, Jittima Manonai MD*, Nathatai Vannatim MSc**, Sirirat Saritapirak BSc**, Chareonsri Imsomboon BSc**, Apichart Chittacharoen MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University ** Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University
Objective : To investigate the impact of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and overactive bladder (OAB) on the
quality of life (QOL) using disease specific health-related QOL questionnaire.
Materials and Methods : Three hundred and nineteen women with SUI and/or OAB, attending the urogynecolgy
clinic, Ramathibodi Hospital were recruited in the present study. Information on QOL was collected, using the
Thai version of modified incontinence-specific quality of life questionnaire (I-QOL) and short form inconti-
nence impact questionnaire (IIQ-7).
Results : In 319 cases, the diagnosis of SUI, OAB, and both were 55 cases, 78 cases, and 186 cases, respectively.
There was no statistically significant difference in patients’ characteristics in three groups. The patients with
both SUI and OAB showed significantly lower scores in all domains of I-QOL than the SUI and OAB groups,
whereas QOL, assessed by IIQ-7, showed significant impairment in the combined SUI and OAB group, only in
the emotional health domain.
Conclusion : Stress urinary incontinence and overactive bladder have a detrimental impact on patient health-
related QOL. Women with a combination of SUI and OAB have the greatest impairment in QOL.
Keywords : Quality of life, Stress urinary incontinence, Overactive bladder
