Abstract
Background
Most patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from bladder dysfunction during the course of the disease. This study was conducted to examine the prevalence of these complications among patients with MS.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was performed on 603 patients with MS who referred to the neurology clinics of Kashani and Alzahra Hospitals affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. The sampling was performed by multi-stage random cluster sampling method and the informed consent form was filled in by the subjects. Then, all the data were collected through interviews using the Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Score (LUTSS) developed in accordance with the definitions presented by the International Continence Society (ICS) and the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS). The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests in SPSS and the significance level was considered to be less than 0.050.
Results
The prevalence rate of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) was 87.6% among all the subjects, with a similar rate among women (88.0%) and men (86.0%). There was a significant difference between the two groups of men and women in terms of the prevalence of stress urinary incontinence (SUI), intermittent urine flow, hesitancy, straining, and dribbling (P < 0.050). There was no significant difference between the two groups of women and men in terms of the prevalence of other symptoms (P > 0.050). Moreover, there was a significant difference between the degree of LUTS with age, marital status, education, duration of illness, clinical course, and disability (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
A high prevalence of LUTS was found among patients with MS, with similar rates in men and women, and the nature of the urinary complaints and LUTS was different among men and women with MS. Therefore, it is recommended that the health system take necessary measures regarding timely detection and treatment of LUTS among these patients in order to prevent secondary outcomes and improve the quality of life (QOL) of patients with MS.
Surveying the Prevalence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Based on Individual and Clinical Parameters in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
