The Racial Distribution of Female Pelvic Floor Disorders in an Equal Access Health Care System

Purpose: We examined ethnic differences in female pelvic disorders in an equal access health care system. Materials and Methods: An electronic medical record review was performed for patients with pelvic floor disorders at a military female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery division for a 1-year period. Primary diagnosis codes and patient reported race were reviewed. Results: Mean ± SD cohort age was 55 ± 16.3 years. A total of 720 patients were identified, of whom 68.8% were white and 18.6% were black. Pelvic organ prolapse was the primary diagnosis in 34.2% of the women, while 19.7% had stress urinary incontinence and 10.8% had urge urinary incontinence. There was no difference in the prevalence of prolapse between black and white women. However, of patients with incontinence there was a statistically significant difference with urge incontinence in more black women (51.2%) and stress incontinence in more white women (66.2%) (chi-square p <0.05). Conclusions: There is a similar ethnic distribution of pelvic organ prolapse in an equal access health care system. Of women with incontinence there was a higher prevalence of urge urinary incontinence in black women and a higher prevalence of stress urinary incontinence in white women.