PREVALÊNCIA DE INCONTINÊNCIA URINÁRIA FEMININA NO BRASIL: UMA REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA.

Background: Urinary incontinence is considered a common health problem among women and has broad repercussions on female daily life. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of urinary incontinence in women in Brazil. Method: Systematic review of studies on the prevalence of urinary incontinence in women in Brazil, published in the last 12 years (2000 to 2012), in PubMed, LILACS and SciELO, using the terms "urinary incontinence", "prevalence" and "Brazil". As well as the references cited in the articles obtained thorough the primary search of the aforementioned databases. Results: After a thorough examination, 22 articles were included in the study, conducted in four Brazilian regions (Southeast- 11, South- 5, Northeast- 4, Midwest-2). The study samples ranged from 1256 to 32 women. The study ages ranged from 12 to 80 years. The prevalence of female urinary incontinence varied between 5,8% and 72%. Conclusion: Despite the variation the values of prevalence found, the prevalence of urinary incontinence in women in Brazil is high. Further investigations are needed to increase the scope of information available on the prevalence of urinary incontinence in Brazilian women, since the concentration of studies occurred in the Southeast region, especially in metropolitan regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]