RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOWER URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT-RELATED BEHAVIOUR IN HAZARA DIVISION

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) adversely affect the quality of life and are usually under-reported because of a stigma associated with these symptoms. Unless specifically probed for these symptoms, most patients do not report Lower urinary tract symptoms. This study focused on the treatment-seeking behaviour of otherwise healthy individuals who had LUTS. The study aimed to determine the relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms and treatment-related behaviours among adults in the Hazara Division.

This was a descriptive cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study of healthy attendants of patients admitted at a private medical centre for any reason who were enrolled in this study and were interviewed using a simple questionnaire after obtaining informed consent. The patients were administered validated tools such as OAB-8 and IPSS.

Overall, 23.5% of study participants reported LUTS. Among the 968 study participants, 530 reported having LUTS less than half the time and 438 reported LUTS more than half the time during the past 3 months. Over 23.5% of patients sought any type of treatment for their symptoms. the likelihood of seeking medical attention was more in males experiencing issues such as urgency with distress (aOR 2.21 (1.11-4.05) CI 95%), frequency with distress (aOR 1.88 (1.01-4.21) 95%CI), slow urinary stream with distress (aOR 2.33 (1.13-4.49) CI 95%), hesitation (aOR 1.81 (1.02-2.15) CI 95%), and feeling of incomplete bladder emptying (aOR 3.13 (1.38-4.95) CI 95%). Similarly, females with symptoms like urgency with a fear of urine leak (aOR 5.33 (1.67-10.93) CI 95%), frequency (aOR 4.88 (1.29-9.94) CI 95%), urgency with distress (aOR 6.11 (2.33-13.20) CI 95%), and intermittency (aOR 2.32 (1.33-3.78) 95% CI), were more prone to seeking medical help.

There is marked under-utilization of treatment for LUTS. Physicians need to adopt a proactive approach to identifying these symptoms and offering treatment.