International Journal of General Medicine (Nov 2021)

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

  • Abushamma F,
  • Nassar N,
  • Najjar SO,
  • Hijaze SM,
  • Koni A,
  • Zyoud SH,
  • Aghbar A,
  • Hanbali R,
  • Hashim H

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 8427 – 8435

Abstract

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Faris Abushamma,1,2 Narjis Nassar,1 Sulafa Omar Najjar,1 Sobhe Mahmoud Hijaze,1 Amer Koni,3,4 Sa’ed H Zyoud,4– 6 Amir Aghbar,1,2 Rifat Hanbali,7 Hashim Hashim8 1Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine; 2Department of Urology, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, 44839, Palestine; 3Division of Clinical Pharmacy, Hematology and Oncology Department, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, 44839, Palestine; 4Department of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine; 5Clinical Research Center, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, 44839, Palestine; 6Poison Control and Drug Information Center (PCDIC), College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine; 7Department of Rheumatology, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, 44839, Palestine; 8Bristol Urological Institute, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UKCorrespondence: Faris AbushammaDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, PalestineEmail [email protected]: 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).Patients and Methods: 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.Results: 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.Conclusion: 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.Keywords: lower urinary tract symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis, quality of life, DAS28, BFLUTS, overactive bladder

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