Urinary Incontinence, the Hidden Health Problem of Cretan Women: Report from a Primary Care Survey in Greece

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Abstract
The prevalence of urine leakage and care-seeking rates of women 35-75 years of age who visited GPs in two rural areas of Crete were investigated. All the women who visited their family physician in two primary care units during the period of August to November 1997 (N = 251) were asked if they had experienced symptoms of involuntary urine leakage. A set of questions was addressed to the women who replied positively. Sixty-nine of the 251 women (27.5%) reported symptoms of involuntary urine leakage, and among the incontinent women 11 (15.9%) had previously contacted the health services about their problem. Only six out of thirty (20%) of the incontinent women who report effects on household activities, social and sexual life had contacted a physician about urinary incontinence (UI). The most common reason reported for not consulting the physicians was that the symptoms were not considered serious (35 women out of 58, 60.3%). This study points out the need for further awareness programs for both women and healthcare professionals to be set up in countries like Greece, in which a low care-seeking rate of incontinent women has been reported.