The Effects of Severity of Urine Leakage on Quality of Life in Hispanic, White, and Black Men and Women: the Boston Community Health Survey

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between the severity of urine leakage and quality of life (QOL) in men and women of different race/ethnicity.

Methods: An epidemiologic survey was conducted with a population-based random sample of 3202 women and 2301 men (1767 black, 1877 Hispanic, 1859 white) aged 30-79 years in Boston, MA. Severity of leakage was based on frequency and amount by the Sandvik Severity Scale. QOL was measured with physical and mental component summaries of Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12. Covariates included race/ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, urinary incontinence risk factors, and comorbidities. Analysis included multivariate linear regression modeling by gender.

Results: Urine leakage, most of which was mild or moderate, was reported in 30% of women and 18% of men. Women (5.1%) were more likely than men (0.9%) to report severe leakage. In multivariate analysis, as severity of leakage increased, both components of QOL declined, with decreases in scores of 7-8 points for men (P < or = .001 for each) and 4-6 points (P < .05 and P = .001, respectively) for women. Severe leakage was associated with a greater decline in QOL than that observed for most other comorbidities considered. The effect of urine leakage on QOL was similar among racial and ethnic groups.

Conclusions: Urine leakage impairs QOL for both men and women, with no evidence of different effects by racial/ethnic group. Leakage has clinically significant effects on physical health-related QOL for men and on mental health QOL for both men and women.