Prevalence and characterization of pelvic organ prolapse in women from Quindío, Colombia. 2016-2019

Abstract

Introduction: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a frequent condition that affects both the quality of life and sexual function of women. Objective: To determine the prevalence of POP in women from Quindío, Colombia, and to characterize this population. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in 1 185 women who underwent genital assessment using the pelvic organ prolapse quantification system (POPQ) in a tertiary care university hospital in Armenia (Colombia) between 2016 and 2019. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The median age of the participants was 49 years (range: 27-87). The prevalence of POP was 29.95% (95%CI: 19.23-31.71). Anterior compartment prolapse was the most frequent type of POP (38.87%), followed by posterior compartment prolapse (23.94%). Grade 2 prolapse was the most common POP grade (33.52%), while grade 4 was the least common (6.19%). Regarding age, the highest frequency of POP was found in women >50 years (38.94%; 95%CI: 31.19-42.88), while in grand multiparas (>5 births) the frequency of POP was 77.86% (95% CI: 72.11-85.51). Fecal incontinence, urinary incontinence, and occult incontinence were reported in 2.81%, 31.83%, and 54.36% of patients with POP, respectively. Conclusions: POP is highly prevalent in Quindío women, with the majority of cases being multicomparment POP. This is a common condition in women over 50 years of age, and grand multiparas had a greater risk of POP. These data confirm that POP is a common health problem in this region of the country.