The International Continence Society “Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia” Study: International Differences in Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Related Bother

Abstract

Purpose: We investigated the international differences in the reporting of lower urinary tract symptoms and related bother in patients with symptoms suggestive of bladder outlet obstruction.Materials and Methods: Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate interna tional differences in the reporting of lower urinary tract symptoms and related bother in 1,271 patients from 12 countries who participated in the International Continence Society "benign prostatic hyperplasia" study.Results: Country of origin was significantly associated with the prevalence of a large number of lower urinary tract symptoms (10 of 20), even after adjusting for potentially confounding variables, including physical and socio-demographic factors. Country of origin was also signifi cantly associated with the reporting of bother but for a much smaller number of symptoms (2).Conclusions: In different countries lower urinary tract symptoms may be reported to different extents. Therefore, the results of studies in particular countries may not be generally applicable to other countries. It is likely that symptom scores will conceal this variation, necessitating consid eration of individual symptoms (as in the International Continence Society "benign prostatic hyper plasia" study) or the development of country specific scoring systems. An alternative would be to focus on bother, which appeared to be much less sensitive to international differences.

Overactive Bladder Syndrome among Community-Dwelling Adults in Taiwan: Prevalence, Correlates, Perception, and Treatment Seeking

“…However, the data must be interpreted with caution as a unified definition of OAB has not been established. Likewise, the reported international differences in the prevalence rates of OAB in other studies [3][4][5] may simply arise from a difference in definition, or may truly reflect cultural differences, particularly with regard to perception or willingness to report symptoms [3,7] .…”

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Imidafenacin as Add-on Treatment for Persistent Overactive Bladder Symptoms Despite α-Blocker Treatment in Patients With BPH: The ADDITION STUDY

“…3-5 Among the LUTS, overactive bladder (OAB), which is defined as urinary urgency with urinary frequency, nocturia, and sometimes urgency incontinence, is the most troublesome in the daily life of patients. 6 Alpha-blockers are used as first-line treatment for BPH because they can reduce voiding and storage symptoms, although it is sometimes difficult to improve storage symptoms with an a-blocker alone. 7-10 Several reports indicated that concomitant anticholinergic drugs were effective in patients with BPH with storage symptoms unresponsive to a-blocker monotherapy.…”

Comparative Study of International Prostate Symptom Scores and Urodynamic Parameters in Men and Women with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

“…First, the present study was not a population-based study. Furthermore, the results of studies on urinary symptoms in specifi c countries may not be generally applicable in other countries because of different cultural backgrounds and specifi c health-care delivery systems, although it should be added that 'bothersomeness' appears to be less sensitive to international differences [17] . However, given the limitations of the present study in this respect, its results nevertheless permit comparisons between similarly aged men and women.…”