[Efficiency of a nursing clinical trial on the treatment of female urinary incontinence]. / Efectividad de un ensayo clínico sobre cuidados enfermeros para la incontinencia en mujeres.

INTRODUCTION: Urinary incontinence is a frequent condition in women; it is estimated that it affects between 10% and 30% of women. The most common types are stress, urgency and mixed incontinence. It is a fact that this condition affects their quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To assess the benefits of applying an integrated and standardized nursing intervention on women with a slight or moderate degree of stress, urge or mixed urinary incontinence. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled clinical trial. LOCATION: Area 6 of primary care in Madrid. PARTICIPANTS: 256 women, 128 per group. INTERVENTION: Systematized care plan for the intervention group (IG) and conventional plan for the control group (CG), depending on urinary incontinence type. RESULTS: 59% of the total sample participated; 103 participants were followed: 48 from the IG (37.5%) and 55 from the CG (42.9%). The average difference in urine loss before and after intervention was 5.7 g (n = 22) for the IG, as opposed to 1.8 g (n = 27) for the CG; this reduction was not significant (p = 0.12), 95% CI [-1.09 - 8.92]. IU degree changes were assed by means of the Sandvik scale and were grouped in "women that improved or cured" and "women that remained the same or got worse" after interention. 40.5% of the women in the IG improved or cured, as opposed to 21% of the women in the CG (p = 0.059). CONCLUSIONS: both care plans showed their efficiency to improve UI in this group of women. The mentioned improvement was greater in the IG than in the CG, with clinically relevant differences. The fact that some of the women gave up the project during the follow-up determined a power reduction of the study.

[Epidemiology and impact of urinary incontinence in women between 40 and 65 in a health area of Madrid]. / Epidemiología e impacto de la incontinencia urinaria en mujeres de 40 a 65 años de edad en un área sanitaria de Madrid.

OBJECTIVES: To study the epidemiology and the social and health repercussions of urinary incontinence (UI) in women aged between 40 and 65. DESIGN: Observational and descriptive cross-sectional study.Setting. Area 6 of primary care (PC) in Madrid. PARTICIPANTS: Sample of 485 women aged between 40 and 65, obtained by randomised sampling of the census of health cards, stratified by the three kinds of health districts (rural, urban and peri-urban). MAIN RESULTS: Mean age was 52, with 15.4% prevalence of UI (2.6% stress, 10.6% urge and 2.1% mixed). In the multivariate logistic regression, association with the number of vaginal deliveries (OR = 2; 95% CI, 1.2-3.1) and with constipation (OR = 2.5; 95% CI, 1-6) was found. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence found situates UI as a relevant problem in the population under study. Most women had not consulted the doctor on the problem. Several associated risk factors could be prevented, which justifies the setting-up within PC of coordinated programmes of UI education and prevention for this group of women.