[Reproducibility of bladder diary in patients with multiple sclerosis]

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Urology

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition with highly variable symptoms.
• This variability can significantly impact bladder dysfunction.
• The stability and reproducibility of bladder diaries (BD) in MS patients are questionable.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the reproducibility and reliability of bladder diaries in multiple sclerosis patients.
• To identify factors influencing bladder diary stability in MS.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-one MS patients completed a 21-day bladder diary, recording voiding times.
• Voiding frequency variability was assessed using the coefficient of variation (CV).
• Patients were categorized into stable (CV≤15%) and unstable (CV>15%) groups.

Main Results:

• The mean CV was 23%, indicating general instability.
• Only 8 patients (25.8%) had a stable bladder diary.
• Older age was associated with a more stable bladder diary (P=0.03).
• Longer diary duration correlated with decreased reliability.

Conclusions:

• Bladder diaries are not consistently reproducible in the multiple sclerosis population.
• Lack of patient compliance and the inherent variability of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in MS contribute to unreliability.
• The clinical utility of bladder diaries in MS warrants further discussion.