Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Among Females with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

To assess the presence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) female patients with assessment of LUTS and its impact on quality of life (QoL).

A prospective, cross-sectional study of female patients with RA was conducted. Demographics and clinical data, Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms questionnaire (BFLUTS), and the RA Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) were all collected. A correlation has been made between all variables to assess the factors that induce LUTS in RA and the impact on QoL.

Eighty-nine patients were enrolled. About 94.4% of RA patients had at least one symptom of LUTS. Concerning DAS28, 55.1% had moderate disease activity and 16.9% had high disease activity, which was not significantly associated with BFLUTS or QoL. The prevalence of overactive bladder syndrome symptoms (OAB: frequency, urgency, nocturia, and urgency incontinence) were found to be 65.2%, 59.6%, 56.2%, and 30.3%, respectively. Stress incontinence was prevalent in 40.4% of patients. The overall interference with life was evident in 27 (30.3%) patients secondary to LUTS. Body mass index (BMI) was positively and significantly correlated with the presence of storage symptoms (r = 0.306, p = 0.004) and with the total BFLUTS (r = 0.251, p = 0.018). BFLUTS subdomains and total scores were significantly correlated to poor QoL. The correlation of the BFLUTS QoL was found to be r = 0.584, p < 0.001 with storage symptoms, r = 0.399, p < 0.001 with voiding symptoms, and r = 0.757, p < 0.001 with incontinence.

LUTS is a prominent and significant disability that directly affects QoL in RA. BMI is an independent factor that is linked to LUTS in RA patients.