To examine risk factors associated with stress urinary incontinence(SUI) among adult women.

A paired case-control study was conducted in February 2009 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital. Stress urinary incontinence cases who were more than 20 years old were selected from 48 communities in 6 districts of Beijing, and they were current stress urinary incontinence patients in terms of ICIQ-FLUTS recommended by International Consultation on Incontinence(ICI)(case group, n=394). Another 394 women without stress urinary incontinence were included into control group. Three hundred and ninety-four pairs of participants were recruited in this study. Participants of control group were selected from same community at same age and without any type of urinary incontinence. Both two groups were investigated by using a standard questionnaire. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese PLA General Hospital. Informed consent was obtained from all participants.

Main demographic characteristics were similar between both groups. Overweight or obesity, vaginitis, cervicitis, adnexitis, chronic pelvic pain, intake of dietary fiber, constipation, and stress showed significant difference between case group and control group by bivariate logistic regress analysis. Five risk factors were entered the logistic regression model: Overweight or obesity(OR=1.74, 95%CI: 1.18-2.56), vaginitis(OR=2.81, 95%CI: 1.49-5.29), chronic pelvic pain(OR=1.50, 95%CI: 1.02-2.23), constipation(OR=1.56, 95%CI: 1.02-2.38)and pressure (OR=11.17, 95%CI: 4.37-28.69)were significantly associated with stress urinary incontinence.

Stress urinary incontinence is a common and severe disease. Specific measures including community intervention and clinical treatment targeting risk factors should be conducted.