State anxiety during watchful waiting for urinary lithiasis

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Psychosomatic Medicine

Background:

• Guidelines often recommend watchful waiting for various conditions.
• Urinary lithiasis management includes a watchful waiting period for small stones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess psychological distress during watchful waiting for urinary lithiasis.
• To identify patient subgroups at risk for increased distress.

Main Methods:

• 112 patients with small urinary stones (< or =5 mm) were studied.
• State and trait anxiety were measured using STAI at baseline and after watchful waiting.

Main Results:

• State anxiety significantly increased during the 30-day watchful waiting period.
• Increased anxiety was noted in males, those with high baseline anxiety, and those experiencing recurrent pain.

Conclusions:

• Extended watchful waiting periods can cause significant emotional burden in urinary lithiasis patients.
• Clinicians should individualize watchful waiting duration, especially for at-risk patients.