Incontinência urinária e autoimagem genital em idosas

Abstract

The new life standards have contributed to the increase in the population's longevity and, with it, the increase in the incidence of comorbidities resulting from aging, such as pelvic disorders. Among them, urinary incontinence (UI) stands out, whose presence can be determinant in the perception of good or bad genital self-image (GSI) in elderly women. Considering that GSI is considered a significant component of women's physical and mental well-being, the aim of this research was to compare urinary complaints in elderly women according to their genital self-image. The study is quantitative, analytical, explanatory and retrospective with elderly women from Santa Maria, RS. The research is an integral part of the project "Relationship between pelvic floor pain, sexual function and genital selfimage of elderly women with and without fibromyalgia" which the inclusion of new objectives, new instruments as well as the increase in the number of the sample were entered by the Committee. Ethics and Research at the Federal University of Santa Maria. The population of 132 women from the Integrated Center for the Study and Support of the Elderly (NIEATI) of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). As inclusion criteria, women aged 60 years or older, with self-reported complaints of UI of any type, were included. Elderly people with a BMI greater than 30Kg/m² and neurological or neurogenic pathologies that could be supported by UI were excluded from this study, as well as any active self-reported genital pathology, such as vaginosis or diseases derived from hypoestrogenism, as well as women with incomplete information, without database of original data. As instruments for data collection will be used the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), an Assessment Form Adapted by the Laboratory of Gerontology (LAGER) of the State University of Santa Catarina UDESC (UDESC, 2019), the Self Genital Female Scale Questionnaire image (FGSIS), International Incontinence Consultation Questionnaire - Short Form (ICIQ-SF). The elderly will be divided into two groups using a score ≥ 21.8 as the FGSIS cutoff, according to the study by DeMaria, Hollub and Herbenick (2012): women with good genital self-image (group 1, n=9) and women with poor genital self-image (group 2, n=9). For both groups, the following variables will be compared: ICIQ-SF, number of pads used, frequency and quantity of urinary losses, in addition to the impact of UI on the quality of life of elderly women. The collection was already carried out in a previous study titled “Factors that interfere with the genital self-image of elderly women” and the respective database will be analyzed according to the objectives of the current research. For statistical analysis, the Software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15.0 will be used. Data analysis will be performed by comparing the groups of elderly women. The normality test of data will be performed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The comparison of parametric variables will occur by means of a two-tailed independent t test; while the non-parametric variables, by the Mann Whitney u test. The chi-square test will be applied to compare categories. The significance level adopted will be p≤0.05. The elderly were divided into two groups: women with good (n=9) and poor AIG (n=9). For the groups, the ICIQ-SF score, number of protectors used, frequency and number of hospitalized losses, impact of UI on quality of life (QoL) were compared. No difference was observed in complaints between groups. As for the AIG, comfort and examination showed the lowest scores, while security and appearance, the highest averages for both groups. Although the number of daily tampons used and the amount of weekly urinary losses were small. The findings did not identify a significant difference between the complaints experienced by the elderly women in the studied groups. Despite the participants mentioning a severe impact of UI on QoL, urinary loss does not seem to be the variable that, in a primary way, matters for the AGA of the elderly.