Urinary incontinence in female athletes with inadequate eating behavior: a case-control study.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Female athletes can develop symptoms of urinary incontinence (UI) as well as risk behaviors for eating disorders owing to the type of training and sports modality. Such symptoms are intensified by the demands for results and an idealized body composition. Our aim is to investigate the possible association between urinary incontinence and risk behaviors for eating disorders in female athletes. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted with 270 female athletes who answered the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ-SF) and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). Different sports modalities and their respective impact levels were considered in the study. Female athletes were divided into two groups, i.e., athletes with UI (case group) and those without UI (control group). Multiple logistic regression was used to calculate associated factors. RESULTS: From all variables included in the study, only abnormal eating behavior was found to be associated with UI according to the multiple logistic regression test. Participants with UI were 2.15-fold more likely to have risk behaviors for eating disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Female athletes with UI were more likely to have risk behaviors for eating disorders. Multidisciplinary teams that provide care for these athletes should be attentive to symptoms that may not appear to be associated at first glance but may reflect a condition that needs to be treated.

Metabolic syndrome in women with and without stress urinary incontinence.

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a disease of multifactorial etiology characterized by increased waist circumference, elevated triglyceride levels, decreased HDL cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and hyperglycemia. The objective of this study was to compare the frequency of MS in patients with and without stress urinary incontinence (SUI). METHODS: The components of MS were evaluated in 85 women with SUI seen at the Urogynecology and Vaginal Surgery Sector of the Gynecology Department of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP-EPM) and in 108 women without SUI seen at the General Gynecology Clinic of the Gynecology Department of UNIFESP-EPM. RESULTS: The MS diagnosis was more prevalent in patients with SUI, with the frequency according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria being 69.4% in the case group with SUI and 38% in the control group, whereas according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III recommendations, MS was frequent in 64.7% of the cases and 25% of the controls. Each MS component was evaluated, and the body mass index, weight and waist circumference were significantly higher in the case group (with SUI) compared with the control group (p < 0.001). The women in the case group showed an average HDL cholesterol value statistically lower and triglyceride and glycemia values statistically higher than the women in the control group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: MS frequency was higher in patients with SUI, which shows a possible association between these two conditions.

Pelvic floor muscle training to improve urinary incontinence in young, nulliparous sport students: a pilot study.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Urinary incontinence (UI) is prevalent in sport students. We hypothesized that pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) can improve pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength and symptoms of UI in this group of physically active women. METHODS: Sixteen sport students with UI participated in this pre-post test pilot study. However, only seven of them, mean age 20.0 ± 0.8 years, completed the 8-week program. Activity level was measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). The outcome measure was the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ UI SF). PFM strength was measured by manometry as maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). RESULTS: Vaginal resting pressure improved by 17.4 cmH(2)O (SD 6.7), p = 0.04 and MVC by 16.4 cmH(2)O (SD 5.8), p = 0.04. ICIQ UI SF score, frequency, and amount of leakage showed statistically significant improvement. CONCLUSIONS: PFMT increased PFM strength and reduced frequency and amount of UI episodes in sport students that completed an 8-week PFMT program. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm these results.

Pelvic floor disorders among indigenous women living in Xingu Indian Park, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Current assessment for pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) allows comparison between different communities. METHODS: A total of 377 indigenous women living in Xingu Indian Park were evaluated. The pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) was the system used to quantification the staging of pelvic support. The pelvic floor muscle strength was assessed by a perineometer. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors that were associated with prolapse. RESULTS: Only 5.8% of women reported urinary incontinence. The overall distribution of POP-Q stage system was the following: 15.6% stage 0, 19.4% stage I, 63.9% stage II and 0.8% stage III. Parity and age were the risk factors for pelvic organ prolapse (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary incontinence was uncommon in Xingu indigenous women. Like non-indigenous communities, age and parity were the most important risk factors to the genital prolapse.

Urodynamic study and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia and lower urinary tract symptoms.

The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and urodynamic observations on women with fibromyalgia (FM) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Fifty-one patients with FM and LUTS and 50 patients with LUTS without FM answered questions about urinary symptoms and also two questionnaires about quality of life measures: "Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey" and "King's Health Questionnaire". The urodynamic parameters evaluated were the following: maximum cystometric capacity, urine loss due to cough, Valsalva leak point pressure, and detrusor overactivity (DO). The groups were homogeneous concerning age, parity, body mass index, and genital prolapse. Symptoms such as increase of urinary frequency (p=0.007) and urge urinary incontinence (p=0.004) were statistically more common in the FM group. DO was the statistically most common urodynamic observation in patients with FM (p=0.02). Regarding the questionnaires about quality of life, the patients with fibromyalgia and LUTS had the worst results in all fields. In conclusion, patients with FM and LUTS have detrusor overactivity more often as well as an increase of urinary frequency, contributing to the quality of life worsening.