Do women with urinary incontinence really know where all the toilets are? The toilet paper.

AIMS OF STUDY: Aim of this study was to determine if women with overactive bladder really do have a more detailed knowledge about toilets and their conditions in their vicinity in comparison to women with urinary stress incontinence and those without any urinary symptoms.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

A questionnaire survey of 270 women from three symptom groups, those with stress incontinence, overactive bladder and controls without any bladder symptoms from an inner city area and two local towns. The knowledge of the three groups was compared and measured by a score assessed by the authors who had visited the toilets themselves.

RESULTS

Women with overactive bladder are more likely to exhibit precautionary voiding prior to leaving home and have significantly more detailed knowledge about toilets in their neighbourhood.

DISCUSSION: The overactive bladder seems to have a greater influence on behaviour and on quality of life than stress incontinence which could mean that they are more tortured by their symptoms.