Assessments of quality of life in women with urinary incontinence using king's health questionnaire and international consultation on incontinence questionnaire-short form

The differences in quality of life (QOL) impairment due to urinary incontinence between elderly and younger women were evaluated using King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF). The subjects were 313 women who consulted the Women's Urinary Incontinence Clinic of Saiseikai Central Hospital between March, 2005 and January, 2008. They were divided into those below or above the cut-off age of 55, 60 or 65 years. The difference in QOL impairment was greatest when the cut-off age was 60 years. Similar comparisons were made by dividing the subjects into those aged 65-74 years and those aged 75 years and above, but no significant difference was noted in the score of any KHQ domain or ICIQ-SF between the two groups. The stress urinary incontinence occurred in younger women and caused the severest impairment. The response rate to KHQ in this study was low especially in the elderly, but that to ICIQ-SF was as high in the elderly as in younger age group. Social activities and lifestyle change around age 60 were considered to be associated with the change of QOL impairment in women with urinary incontinence. The stress urinary incontinence caused the severest impairment. KHQ was often difficult for the elderly to complete, but, ICIQ-SF seemed to be easy.