Incontinência urinária feminina no contexto da Atenção Primária à Saúde: mapeamento dos sintomas, impactos na qualidade de vida e acesso ao tratamento fisioterapêutico

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Female urinary incontinence (UI) is a prevalent condition that negatively impacts women’s quality of life, especially in contexts of socioeconomic vulnerability. Primary Health Care (PHC) has great potential for the management of this dysfunction, with Physiotherapy recognized as the first-line treatment. However, UI remains underreported, frequently normalized, and occurs in a context of persistent barriers to accessing treatment services. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of urinary incontinence symptoms, their impact on quality of life, and access to physiotherapeutic treatment among women living in the catchment area of a Primary Health Care Unit in the municipality of Lagarto, Sergipe, Brazil. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional observational study with a quantitative and descriptive approach, conducted with 31 women assisted by a Family Health Clinic, after excluding those with cognitive impairment using the Mini-Cog. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire – Short Form (ICIQ-SF), and the King’s Health Questionnaire (KHQ), followed by descriptive statistical analysis using absolute and relative frequencies for categorical variables and means for numerical variables. RESULTS: A prevalence of UI of 21.4% was identified among the evaluated women. There was a predominance of low educational level (83.9% with incomplete elementary education) and low income (54.8% earning less than 1.5 minimum wages). A high frequency of associated risk factors was observed, such as smoking (16.1%), multiple vaginal deliveries (mean of 3.8), and the presence of chronic diseases (96.8%), with systemic arterial hypertension standing out (77.4%). Only 38.7% of the participants reported the condition to health professionals; among these, only 15.4% received guidance on pelvic floor exercises and only 3.2% underwent physiotherapeutic treatment, while 12.9% resorted to surgical intervention. The mean ICIQ-SF score was 10.9. Symptoms such as urinary leakage when coughing (74.1%) or before reaching the bathroom (80.6%) were frequently minimized, with 41.9% of women classifying the impact on daily life as “a little.” CONCLUSION: Urinary incontinence was shown to be frequent, underreported, and often normalized among the evaluated women, being associated with socioeconomic and clinical factors that hinder access to appropriate treatment within PHC. The need to intensify health education actions and multiprofessional training is evident, aiming at early detection, timely referral to Physiotherapy, and expansion of access to this treatment, which may reduce avoidable surgical interventions and promote significant improvement in women’s quality of life.