Epidemiology of female urinary incontinence in the Greek population: EURIG study Angelos Liapis & Panagiotis Bakas & Sofia Liapi & Dimitrios Sioutis & Georgios Creatsas Received: 27 August 2009 / Accepted: 17 September 2009 / Published online: 24 November 2009 # The International Urogynecological Association 2009 Abstract Introduction and hypothesis We estimated the current prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) in the female Greek population, estimated the prevalence of the subtypes of UI, and assessed its impact on patients’ quality of life. Methods The study was performed by personal interview based on structured questionnaires, and 2,000 Greek women (from the whole of Greece) aged between 20 and 80 years old participated in the study. Results The prevalence of UI in a female Greek population comprising women aged between 20 and 80 years was 27%. The impact was proportional to the frequency and severity of the UI. UI had no effect or only a mild effect on patients’ quality of life. Conclusion Significant improvement is required in patient information about the nature of UI and its effects on life, and about available treatments (conservative and surgical), and their efficacy and complications. Keywords Female . Prevalence . Stress . Urge . Urinary incontinence . Stress incontinence . Greece . Urge incontinence . Mixed incontinence . Epidemiology Introduction Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common health problem that affects women of all ages and women of different cultures and races [1]. However, the prevalence rates vary consid- erably between different studies [2–4]. The variation in the prevalence of UI in the literature could be attributed to differences among the populations studied, different survey settings and survey methodology, and the use of different definitions of incontinence. Furthermore, significant varia- tion appears in the literature in relation to the prevalence of the subtypes of UI, which include stress incontinence (SUI), urge incontinence (UUI), and mixed incontinence (MUI) [5]. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to estimate the current prevalence of UI in the female Greek population and (2) to estimate the prevalence of the subtypes of UI. Materials and methods The study was performed by personal interview based on structured questionnaires, and 2,000 women aged between 20 and 80 years participated in the study. The study population was from Athens and Thessalonica, and large urban, urban and rural areas. The study population was representative of the total population of women aged between 20 and 80 years in relation to their age group and region, according to the National Statistical Service of Greece (NSSG), according to which the total number of women aged between 20 and 80 years in the areas under investigation was 4,197,143. The sample distribution according to age and region was as shown in Table 1. The selection of participants for the study was based on detailed information and guidance provided by the NSSG, A. Liapis : P. Bakas : S. Liapi : D. Sioutis : G. Creatsas 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece A. Liapis (*) N. Paritsi 9A, N. Psychiko, Athens 15451, Greece e-mail: p_bakas@yahoo.com Int Urogynecol J (2010) 21:217–222 DOI 10.1007/s00192-009-1019-2