Nocturia and the burning mouth syndrome (BMS) in the elderly

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between BMS and nocturnal micturition in a group of elderly men and women. The study comprised 6103 elderly men and women recruited from a group of pensioners by means of a questionnaire (n=10,216; response rate 61.3%). The mean (+/-S.D.) ages of the men and women were 73.0+/-6.0 years and 72.6+/-6.7 years, respectively. The questionnaire included questions on their health, diseases and symptoms, drugs, sleep habits and the number of nocturnal voiding episodes. BMS was reported by 2.4% of the men and 8.5% of the women (p<0.0001). The occurrence of BMS was unaffected by age in both sexes. In women, but not in men, there was a stepwise increase in BMS in parallel with increased nocturnal micturition. There was a strong relation between nocturnal thirst and drinking on the one hand, and reports on BMS on the other hand. BMS was also increased in diuretics users in both sexes. The results may indicate that negative fluid balance as a consequence of nocturnal polyuria is an overlooked pathogenetic mechanism in the genesis of BMS in the elderly.