Biomedical subjects

Seung-June Oh

Publications and source records attributed to Seung-June Oh.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Impact of self-perceived bothersomeness on health-related quality of life in women with overactive bladder symptoms.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to examine the impact of self-perceived bothersomeness of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms on the health-related quality of life (QOL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 92 women with a mean age of 53.3 (range 23-79) years suffering from OAB were included in the study. The Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) were used to assess the QOL. The patients were divided into two groups according to the bothersomeness degree of OAB: 'low' and 'moderate' to 'high'. RESULTS: The SF-36 and the KHQ scores of the patients were significantly different from those of the controls (p <0.05), except for three domains of the SF-36. No difference in the results of the frequency-volume charts was observed between the two patient groups. The scores of the SF-36 and the KHQ domains did not correlate with the data of the frequency-volume charts. Significant differences were found between the two patient groups for most domains of the SF-36 (p <0.05). Significant differences were also detected in most domains of the KHQ (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Objective data are not a sensitive tool for measuring the QOL in women with OAB symptoms. Our findings suggest that patient-perceived bothersomeness significantly influences QOL and that strategies for assessing bothersomeness should be developed to evaluate the QOL in these patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2006

A comparative study of patient experiences of conventional fluoroscopic and four-hour ambulatory urodynamic studies.

We assessed several emotional variables in patients experiencing conventional urodynamic and ambulatory urodynamic monitoring (AUM) to verify the hypothesis that AUM is tolerated as well as conventional urodynamics. A total of 33 women and 7 men from 23 to 72 years of age who were undergoing both procedures were prospectively included in this study. Prior to and immediately after the procedures, each patient completed a self-administered questionnaire. Answers were given on a visual analogue scale. The degree of anxiety was higher for conventional urodynamics than for AUM (p = 0.045), while the degree of boredom experienced during AUM was higher than that during conventional urodynamics (p= 0.013). There was no significant difference in the degree of shame or bother experienced by the patients during the two procedures. In general, patients tolerated both examinations extremely well. The examiner-rated degree of intolerance during conventional urodynamics was influenced by the subjective pain score (p=0.001), while all other emotional variables except bother were not significantly related with the degree of intolerance during AUM (p=0.007). A total of 74.4% and 84.6% responded that they were willing to repeat conventional urodynamics and AUM, respectively, which were not significantly different. Although AUM produced a significantly higher level of boredom than conventional urodynamics, our data demonstrates that patients are as tolerant of AUM as they are of conventional urodynamic procedures.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

A generic health-related quality of life instrument, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36, in women with urinary incontinence.

The paper reviews the literature concerning health-related quality of life in women with urinary incontinence by using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36). The aim of this study was to determine the role of the SF-36 in the evaluation of urinary incontinence. Although some information regarding factors associated with health-related quality of life in women with urinary incontinence is currently available, this issue remains controversial since these factors had not been consistently found to have effects on quality of life. The scales of the SF-36 questionnaire have poor content validity for urinary incontinence, multidimensionality with difficulty of interpretation of any changes, and limited sensitivity to small changes in symptoms. The problem with using the SF-36 is that results are often insensitive to the specific condition measured and therefore fail to address many of the issues relevant to the disease. As a result, disease-specific instruments may be more beneficial in evaluating the impact of a specific urinary incontinence on quality of life and are more sensitive than their generic counterparts in detecting changes as a result of treatment. Since generic quality of life may be more susceptible to other factors such as co-morbid diseases than disease severity and reflect a wider aspect of daily life, these factors should also be evaluated in future studies.

Female↗

PubMed2006

Impact of stress urinary incontinence and overactive bladder on micturition patterns and health-related quality of life.

We examined the impact of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and overactive bladder (OAB) on micturition habits and health-related quality of life (QOL). A total of 250 Korean women were included in the study. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36) and the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) were used to assess QOL in the patient (SUI, n=158 and OAB, n=92) and control (n=70) groups. A control group was recruited at the Health Promotion Center of our hospital. Each of the dimension scores in the SF-36 represents better health, while that of the KHQ does worse health perception. On the frequency-volume charts, patients with OAB had more nighttime voids than those with SUI (P=0.001). Of the eight domains in the SF-36 questionnaire, four domains were significantly different between the control and OAB groups. Patients with SUI had a significantly lower score on one domain than the controls. Between the SUI and OAB groups, only one domain showed a significant difference. Regarding the KHQ, all domain scores in control subjects were significantly lower than those in the SUI and OAB groups. Between the SUI and OAB groups, the OAB group had higher scores on 'general health perception' and 'sleep/energy disturbances', while the scores of 'physical limitations' and 'severity measures' were higher in the SUI group. Women with OAB have a higher number of nocturic episodes than those with SUI, but the QOL is not less affected by SUI than by OAB. Furthermore, simultaneous disease-specific QOL instruments should be used in the evaluation of urinary incontinence because the generic QOL instrument is not a sensitive tool for measuring QOL in this population.

Female↗

PubMed2006

Clinical and urodynamic features according to subjective symptom severity in female urinary incontinence.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between subjective symptom severity and clinical or urodynamic parameters and to compare these parameters according to subjective symptom severity. METHODS: A total of 268 female patients with grade II (n = 94) and grade III (n = 174) according to the Ingelman-Sundberg scale were included in the study. Mean patient age was 55.9 years (range 28-80). Of 268 patients, 196 women (73.1%) complained of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and 72 (26.9%) reported additional symptoms of urge urinary incontinence (UUI). Fifty-four (20.1%) women previously had hysterectomies and 12 (4.5%) underwent surgery for UI. RESULTS: Patients with severe incontinence (grade III) are older, have longer duration of symptoms, concomitant urgency or UUI, and low maximal urethral closure pressure and low Valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP). No difference in other characteristics including pad test loss and urethral mobility was observed in the two groups. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, a longer duration of symptoms was associated with an increased likelihood of severe symptoms (P = 0.025). Patients with mixed incontinence were at five-fold increased risk of severe symptoms compared with those with SUI only (P = 0.011). In the same model, increasing VLPP was associated with a decreased likelihood of severe symptoms (P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Longer symptom duration, mixed incontinence and low VLPP have independent effects on the severity of incontinence. Our findings suggest that incontinent patients with sphincteric impairment or urge component may have and increased probability of severe symptoms.

Female↗

PubMed2006

Comparison of voiding parameters in men and women with lower urinary tract symptoms.

AIM: The aim of this study was to compare voiding parameters by using urodynamic investigations in men and women with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). METHODS: A total of 164 individuals (76 men and 88 women) completed the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and underwent a detailed urodynamic investigation. Patients were stratified by voiding function, which included bladder voiding efficiency (BVE) of < 80% and of >or= 80%. RESULTS: IPSSs were similar in the men and women except for voiding symptoms for those with a BVE of >or= 80% (12 for men vs. 9 for women, P=0.016). When voiding parameters were compared according to BVE in men and women, respectively, maximum flow rate (Q(max)) (P=0.002), average flow rate (Q(ave)) (P=0.003), voided volume (P=0.037), post-void residual (PVR) (P<0.001), and bladder outlet obstruction index (P=0.016) were different for men with a BVE of < 80% and men with a BVE of >or= 80%. However, for women with a BVE of < 80% or >or= 80%, PVR (P<0.001), detrusor pressure at maximum flow rate (P=0.022), and opening detrusor pressure (P=0.024) were different. CONCLUSIONS: The voiding parameters of women differ from those of men according to voiding function. The present results show that a pressure-flow study may represent a difference according to BVE in women as well as in men. Our findings suggest that opening detrusor pressure in women reflects the urethral and detrusor during voiding phase accurately as detrusor pressure at maximum flow rate does.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Does condition-specific quality of life correlate with generic health-related quality of life and objective incontinence severity in women with stress urinary incontinence?

AIMS: We examined the impact of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) on health-related quality of life (QOL) and evaluated the relationships between incontinence-specific QOL and objective disease severity. METHODS: A total of 158 women (mean age 49.9) suffering from SUI were included in the study. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) were used to assess QOL in the patient and control groups. RESULTS: The SF-36 scores did not show any significant differences between the two groups except for one domain (physical functioning, P = 0.005). The patient KHQ scores were significantly lower than those of the controls (P < 0.001 for all domains). The scores of the KHQ domains correlated with those of the SF-36 domains, but the relationship was low to moderate, ranging from -0.033 to -0.686. However, they did not correlate with Valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP). When patients were divided into the low VLPP group (n = 60) and the higher VLPP group (n = 98), statistically significant differences were found between the groups for general health domains of the SF-36 (P = 0.010) and of the KHQ (P = 0.027). No statistically significant differences were found in other domains of both questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS: The generic QOL instrument is not a sensitive tool for measuring QOL in women with SUI. In addition, our findings suggest that objective disease severity is not associated with generic or incontinence-specific QOL.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Is a generic quality of life instrument helpful for evaluating women with urinary incontinence?

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a generic health outcome instrument would be helpful for evaluating women with stress urinary incontinence (UI) combined with or without urge UI. METHODS: A total of 109 women with UI and 80 controls participated in the study. Health-related quality of life (QOL) was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-36) and the Incontinence Quality of Life (I-QoL) questionnaire. RESULTS: Among eight domains of the SF-36 questionnaire, only four domains, namely, 'role-physical functioning' (p<0.05), 'vitality' (p<0.05), 'mental health' (p<0.05) and 'bodily pain' (p<0.05) were significantly different between the groups. Comparing the I-QoL sores in the two groups, patients with UI had significantly poorer subscale scores of I-QoL than the controls (p<0.05 for all domains). When women with UI were subdivided into groups of stress and mixed UI, only 2 domains of the SF-36 questionnaire, 'role-physical functioning' (p<0.05) and 'bodily pain' (p<0.05), were significantly different. The mixed UI group had higher scores only on these two domains compared to the stress UI group. In the 'role-physical functioning' domain, there was no significant difference between the mixed UI group and the controls. In 'bodily pain' domain, there was no significant difference between the stress UI group and the controls. The mixed group had the highest scores observed. Patients with mixed UI had significantly lower total scores compared to those with stress UI, including the subscale score of 'avoidance behavior' of the I-QoL. Among eight domains of the SF-36, only 'physical functioning' (r = 0.281, p<0.01) and 'social functioning' (r = 0.239, p<0.05) were weakly correlated with 'psychological impact' of the I-QoL. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that the generic QOL instrument is not sensitive measure of QOL in women with UI.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Patients' experience with ambulatory urodynamics. A prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess emotional variables in patients who underwent ambulatory urodynamic monitoring (AUM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 33 females and 7 males aged 23-72 years with an overactive bladder who had undergone three consecutive AUM sessions were included in the study on a prospective basis. Patients completed a self-administered questionnaire before and immediately after each procedure. Answers were given using a visual analog scale. RESULTS: The pre-procedural level of anxiety did not differ significantly with respect to sex, age, education level or income. The degree of bother experienced by patients aged > or = 50 years was higher than for those aged < 50 years: 5 vs 2.5 (p = 0.030). As income increased, the degrees of pain (p = 0.016), bother (p = 0.013) and boredom (p = 0.010) decreased. Other emotional aspects did not differ significantly according to age or income (p > 0.05). Only the subjective bother score influenced the examiner-rated degree of intolerance during AUM (p = 0.007). A total of 34 patients (85.0%) indicated that they would be willing to return for a further session of AUM. The degree of intolerance decreased at the second (p = 0.006) and third (p = 0.049) AUM sessions, whereas other parameters were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that AUM is acceptable and well tolerated by patients with bladder dysfunction.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Sexual activity in Korean male patients on clean intermittent catheterization with neurogenic bladder due to spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the sexual function and activity in male patients on clean intermittent catheterization with neurogenic bladder due to spinal cord injury. METHODS: Eighty-nine patients (mean age 37.6 years with a range of 18-66) were included in the study. We requested all subjects to complete a questionnaire including the 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). RESULTS: Of 89 patients, 60 (67.4%) reported having attempted no sexual intercourse over the past 6 months and 28 (31.5%) presented with IIEF-5 scores less than or equal to 21 points. When subjects were stratified according to the years since injury, 50.0% (16 of 32) with less than 2 years post-injury had no sexual activity, while 77.2 (44 of 57) with 2 years or more post-injury did (P = 0.027). Patients with sexual activity were 40.4% (23 of 57) and 18.8% (6 of 32) in patients who were able and unable to perform self-catheterization, respectively (P = 0.037). Patients with less than 2 years post-injury had 3.3-fold higher risk (odds ratio 3.33; 95% confidence interval 1.01-10.97; P = 0.048) of no sexual activity than those with 2 years or more post-injury on the multivariate model. The other parameters were not appreciably related to sexual activity. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that sexual activity as well as erectile function is poor in this population. In addition, our findings suggest that years since injury may influence sexual activity of patients with spinal cord injury.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Effect of a 'centralized intensive education system' for clean intermittent self-catheterization in patients with voiding dysfunction who start catheterization for the first time.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the effects of a 'centralized intensive education system' (CIES) in terms of acquiring a proper clean intermittent self-catheterization (CISC) technique by patients with voiding dysfunction. METHODS: Between March 2002 and March 2003, we prospectively and consecutively enrolled 132 hospitalized patients who learnt and started CISC for the first time due to voiding dysfunction. Patients were enrolled either of two groups (the CIES group vs the 'individualized ward education system'[IWES] group) at the time of the urologic consultation for voiding dysfunction. Out of 132 patients who enrolled in the study, 112 (45 males and 67 females, mean age 57.3 with a range of 18-81) were included in the primary analyses. The questionnaire was applied immediately before discharge. RESULTS: There were similar patient demographics and clinical parameters for the CIES (n = 62) and the IWES groups (n = 50). Of 10 items including the methodology of CISC, six items discriminated significantly in favor of the CIES (P < 0.05). The patient satisfaction with CISC education was significantly different for the two groups in terms of response to the questionnaire. The CIES group was found to be more satisfied with the education received than the IWES group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the number of trials to gain confidence to perform CISC in CIES group was significantly fewer than that of IWES group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that CIES might be a superior training program for the patients with voiding dysfunction to acquire a proper CISC technique to the conventional IWES.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Direct ureteric length measurement from intravenous pyelography: does height represent ureteric length?

Ureteric length is the most important factor for determining the ideal length of a ureteric stent. In most of the literature, ureteric length is estimated according to a patient's height. We investigated the reliability of a patient's height as a measure of ureteric length. We measured the actual length of the ureteric trace (ALUT) and the linear distance (LD) from the ureterorenal junction to the ureterovesical junction by intravenous pyelography (IVP), using a 15 min view. A total of 203 patients (100 men, 103 women, 406 ureters) with normal findings were studied, and ALUT, LD and height were measured. The mean patient height was 164.3 +/- 8.3(SD) cm. Mean ALUTs of the right and left ureters were 23.4 +/- 1.9 cm and 24.4 +/- 2.0 cm, respectively, and the mean LDs of the right and left ureters were 22.1 +/- 1.9 cm and 22.9 +/- 2.0 cm, respectively. Height was significantly correlated with the ALUTs of both sides, but these were not linear (r2 = 0.024 right, 0.059 left). However, LD showed significant linear correlations with the ALUTs of both sides (r2 = 0.879 right, 0.884 left). Two formulas to estimate the ALUT from LD were suggested: right ALUT = 0.94 x right LD + 2.6, left ALUT = 0.96 x left LD + 2.4. Our results demonstrated that patient height does not provide a reliable estimate of ureteric length. LD by IVP is preferable to patient height when estimating the ureteric length.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Significance of pad test loss for the evaluation of women with urinary incontinence.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine whether the objective incontinence severity, as measured by the pad test, correlated with urethral parameters, and if the objective incontinence severity was differentiated by the incontinence types and also, if it influenced the patient's clinical outcome. METHODS: Two hundred seventy-four female patients who had undergone a tension-free vaginal tape procedure between March 1999 and May 2003 were retrospectively reviewed. The 1 hr pad test was carried out as recommended by the International Continence Society, with some modification. The mean patient age was 55.1 years (range: 28-80). Two hundred-one women (73.3%) that complained of stress urinary incontinence and another 73 women (26.7%) that had additional symptoms of urge incontinence were enrolled as study subjects. A cure for incontinence, after the tension-free vaginal tape procedure, was defined as the absence of a subjective complaint of leakage and the absence of objective leakage on stress testing, and all other cases were considered failures. RESULTS: In linear regression analysis, the Valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP) was the only explanatory variable influencing the objective incontinence severity. The urine leakage was significant higher in the mixed urinary incontinence group than in the stress urinary incontinence group (39.7 +/- 7.5 g vs. 30.3 +/- 2.8 g, P < 0.05). For the total patients, the failure group had a more severe preoperative objective severity than the cure group (53.2 +/- 16.6 vs. 32.0 +/- 3.0, P < 0.05). Upon a subgroup analysis, a similar result was found in the stress urinary incontinence group (87.1 +/- 8.2 vs. 29.8 +/- 2.8, P < 0.05) but not in the mixed urinary incontinence group. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the amount of urine leakage as measured during the pad test may be associated with the clinical outcome, after the anti-incontinence surgery.

Diagnostic Techniques, Urological↗

PubMed2005

Effects of local anesthetics on human bladder contractility.

AIMS: We investigated the invitro effects of local anesthetics on the contractility of the human bladder. METHODS: By measuring the invitro isometric contractions of human bladder strips, we determined the effects of tetracaine, bupivacaine, lidocaine, and ropivacaine on the basal spontaneous contractions and contractions induced by various stimuli, namely, KCl (60 mM), carbachol (CCh), and electrical field stimulation (EFS). The effect of local anesthetic agents on Ca(2+)-independent sustained tonic contraction (SuTC) of the detrusor was also investigated. RESULTS: Local anesthetics increased phasic and tonic spontaneous contractile activity dose dependently in the concentration range 1-500 muM, but abolished phasic activity at higher concentrations. Local anesthetic agents inhibited nerve-mediated contraction (EFS, 0.8 msec) in a concentration-dependent manner (ropivacaine > tetracaine = bupivacaine > lidocaine), and inhibited non-nerve mediated contractions induced by KCl, long pulse EFS (direct muscle stimulation, 100 msec), and CCh. Inhibitory potency on non-nerve mediated contraction was for long pulse EFS: ropivacaine = tetracaine > bupivacaine = lidocaine and for KCl- and CCh-induced contractions: ropivacaine > tetracaine > bupivacaine = lidocaine. Higher concentrations of local anesthetics were needed to inhibit non-nerve-mediated bladder contraction than nerve-mediated contraction. SuTC was suppressed by all local anesthetics concentration dependently. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that local anesthetics have inhibitory effects on the contraction of human bladder as induced by different stimulants and concentrations. Their effects and differences suggest that they may be considered potentially useful as diagnostic and therapeutic agents for bladder dysfunction.

Amides↗

PubMed2005

Factors influencing self-perceived disease severity in women with stress urinary incontinence combined with or without urge incontinence.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of patient-perceived disease severity (PPDS) on the quality of life (QoL) of women with urinary incontinence (UI) and to identify factors predicting PPDS. METHODS: A total of 109 women (mean age 54.9; range 31-77) with stress UI combined with or without urge UI were included in the primary analyses. The incontinence quality of life (I-QoL) devised during the course of this study was used to assess the QOL impact of UI. RESULTS: PPDS of women with UI increased as I-QoL scores decreased (P<0.001). When analyzed by patient characteristics and objective test results, PPDS increased only with the number of episodes (P=0.005) and pad test weight increased (P=0.010). By multivariate regression analysis, patients who complained of UI "three to four times a day or more" had 6.4-fold higher risk (P=0.027) of perceiving that their symptoms were more severe than those who complained of a UI "one to two times per week or less." Patients with a pad test weight of >25 g had a 4.7-fold higher risk of perceiving their symptoms were more severe than those with a pad test weight of <15 g. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the frequency of UI episodes and the volume of urine loss are associated with PPDS. In addition, the I-QoL scores deteriorated significantly as the PPDS of incontinence increased. Thus, PPDS may impact on the QoL of women with stress UI combined with or without urge UI.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2005

Health-related quality of life of patients using clean intermittent catheterization for neurogenic bladder secondary to spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the psychological and social status of patients using clean intermittent catheterization for neurogenic bladder according to health-related quality of life (HRQOL). METHODS: We conducted a prospective trial involving 132 patients (81 men and 51 women, mean age 41.8 years, range 18 to 80 years) using clean intermittent catheterization because of neurogenic bladder secondary to spinal cord injury. The 150 controls (90 men and 60 women) lived in the same region as the patients and were frequency matched to ensure equal age and sex distributions. HRQOL was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS: The SF-36 scores did not reveal any significant differences between the men and women in the patient group. The SF-36 scores of the patients were significantly lower than those of the general population. When patients and controls were divided into two groups according to sex and age, the SF-36 scores of the patients were significantly lower than the controls across both sex and all age groups, other than the energy and vitality scale, the differences for which were not statistically significant in women and those younger than 50 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that patients using clean intermittent catheterization because of neurogenic bladder secondary to spinal cord injury generally exhibit a reduced quality of life in all health domains as assessed by the SF-36.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Technique for removal of symptomatic bone anchors placed during stress incontinence surgery.

INTRODUCTION: To present an uncomplicated, reliable technique for bone anchor removal in patients with anchor-related infections or chronic pain. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS: We removed 17 anchors from 9 patients between 1999 and 2004. The surgical technique used fluoroscopy for localization of the anchors and an orthopedic broken screw removal instrument for resection of the anchor and surrounding bone. Nine patients with bone anchors had been symptomatic with chronic pain and/or wound drainage for a mean of 23.7 months before surgery. After removal, 10 anchors grew positive bacterial cultures. The most common organism was coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. During a mean follow-up period of 6.8 months after hardware removal, 8 of the 9 patients had symptomatic improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Fluoroscopic localization and en bloc resection with a broken screw removal instrument is an effective method of removing symptomatic bone anchors.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Quality of life and disease severity in Korean women with stress urinary incontinence.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether disease severity influences quality of life using the Incontinence Quality of Life questionnaire and to determine the factors that effectively reflect disease severity in women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). METHODS: A total of 109 women (mean age 54.9 years, range 31 to 77) with UI were included in the primary analyses. Data from the responses to the Incontinence Quality of Life questionnaires, 1-hour pad testing, uroflowmetry, postvoid residual urine volume measurements, and videourodynamic study were included for analysis. Of the 109 patients, 24 (22.0%) were mildly, 53 (48.6%), moderately, and 32 (29.4%) severely affected, respectively, as determined by self-perceived severity. RESULTS: The Incontinence Quality of Life total scores were associated with several variables, including self-perceived disease severity (P < 0.001), type of UI (P = 0.009), number of UI episodes (P = 0.022), association with no specific activity (P = 0.017), and maximal flow rate (P = 0.027). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that self-reported disease severity (P < 0.001) was a potential risk factor of a poorer quality of life. The perceived severity of UI increased with stress pad weight (P = 0.010) and the number of UI episodes (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that self-perceived disease severity significantly influences the quality of life of patients with SUI. Although UI episodes or the number of pads used have been routinely used to evaluate SUI severity, strategies for assessing SUI should also incorporate self-perceived disease severity.

Adult↗