Urinary incontinence in girls and female adolescents with cystic fibrosis

Purpose Urinary incontinence (UI) is a known and internationally recognised problem in female adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). UI might have a negative impact on quality of life, but also on lung function, because UI might influence sputum evacuation. The prevalence of UI in young patients ( Material and methods Questionnaires about micturation symptoms, incontinence, perceived competence and quality of life were sent to all 12-18-year old female patients and to parents of all 6-11-year old girls attending our CF center. Results Fifty-four of 79 patients (68%) completed the questionnaires. The prevalence of UI in the total group was 33% (n = 18). Of the 6-11-year old girls 9 of 35 (26%) had UI and 9 of 19 (47%) of the 12-18-year old female patients reported UI. No significant differences in possible risk factors for the development of UI could be demonstrated. Two of 9 adolescent patients reported that UI had an impact on quality of life. We found no differences in perceived competence between the continent and incontinent group. Conclusions UI is more common in female CF patients (33%) than would be expected in the general population of females between 6 and 18 years old (2-10%). UI has no impact on perceived competence, but can have impact on quality of life