Poster 25: Prevalence of Female Pelvic Floor Disorders by Age and Race/Ethnicity in a Managed Health Care Population

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Despite the significant impact that female pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) have on quality of life, there are limited data on the prevalence of PFDs derived from psychometrically and biologically validated surveys. MEHODS: The Epidemiology of Prolapse and Incontinence Questionnaire (EPIQ) was mailed to a stratified random sample of 12,200 female Kaiser Permanente members in 4 age strata: 25–39, 40–54, 55–69, and 70–84 years. Women screened positive for a PFD based on responses to survey questions and their reported degree of bother with symptoms. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), overactive bladder (OAB), mixed urinary incontinence (MUI), pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and anal incontinence (AI) were assessed. Percentages, odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are presented. Only ORs and 95% CIs that were significantly different by racial/ethnic group are reported in the text. RESULTS: Response rate after 2 mailings, reminder postcard, and call was 39% (n=4401) after excluding bad addresses. Mean age of respondents was 57.0 ± 15.9 years and the racial/ethnic distribution was 60% white, 20% Hispanic, 10% black, 8% Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI), 1% Native American (NA), and 1% unknown. The prevalence of PFDs among the respondents is shown in Table 1. Controlling for age category and using white women as the reference group, black women were less likely to have SUI (OR, 0.60; CI, 0.43–0.83) than white women. Hispanic (OR, 0.81; CI, 0.66–0.98), black (OR, 0.47; CI, 0.36–0.63), and A/PI women (OR, 0.75; CI, 0.57–0.99) were less likely to have AI than white women. NA women were more likely to have AI (OR, 2.05; CI, 1.18–3.95) than white women. Hispanic women were more likely to have POP (OR, 1.37; CI, 1.00–1.87) than white women. There were no racial/ethnic differences for MUI or OAB.TABLE 1DISCUSSION: The prevalence of the PFDs varied by age and by race/ethnicity in some cases. The prevalence estimates for most PFDs are similar to previously published reports. The prevalence of AI may be higher as a result of inclusion of flatal incontinence.