Race and ethnicity do not contribute to differences in preoperative urinary incontinence severity or symptom bother in women who undergo stress incontinence surgery.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine whether race/ethnicity affects urinary incontinence (UI) severity and bother in women who undergo surgery for stress incontinence.

STUDY DESIGN

We used baseline data from participants in the Stress Incontinence Surgical Treatment Efficacy trial. UI severity was measured by the number of leakage episodes during a 3-day urinary diary and by urodynamic evaluation. UI bother was measured with the Urogenital Distress Inventory. Race/ethnicity classification was based on self-report.

RESULTS

Of the 654 women, 72 women (11%) were Hispanic; 480 women (73%) were non-Hispanic white; 44 women (6.7%) were non-Hispanic black, and 58 women (8.9%) were of other race/ethnicity. No differences were seen in any UI severity measures. Non-Hispanic white women had the lowest Urogenital Distress Inventory scores on bivariate analysis, which was explained by socioeconomic status, body mass index, and age on multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

Factors other than racial/ethnic differences underlie variations in UI symptoms and bother in this group of women who sought surgery for stress incontinence.