[Sport and urinary incontinence in women].

A quarter of French women over 25 years old are regular sportswomen. The practice of sport is synonymous with youth and good health. The current health policy also aims at promoting the sport. However, sport may be the cause of various diseases when it is poorly chosen or improperly performed. The High Authority of Health identifies the intensive exercise as a risk factor for urinary incontinence, defined as "the complaint of any involuntary leakage of urine". It is essentially stress urinary incontinence, occurring because of the phenomenon of intrabdominal hypertension, inherent with certain activities, and excess capacity of sphincters. Some sports are more risk than others, and high-level sportswomen are the most exposed. So, the general practitioner and the doctor of sports play a vital role in informing, screening, prevention, therapeutic orientation and monitoring of sportswomen. Better information is needed for this public health problem because according to the severity of incontinence and its impact, there are simple, effective, more or less invasive treatment options. The aim of this study was to establish an inventory of scientific knowledge on the subject and to assist the practitioner in the care of these patients. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.