Prevalence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Apparently Healthy Young Nigerian Women

Aim: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common in the general population, compromise quality of life and may result in increased health care costs for the society. We observed that many of the studies previously published focused on middle aged and elderly men and women. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of LUTS among apparently healthy young Nigerian women.

Methodology: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 223 female medical and nursing students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, aged 18 to 34 years. All participants completed the International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire for Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-FLUTS).

Results: The mean age of the participants was 23.88±2.89. The overall prevalence of LUTS was 55.2% and the overall prevalence of those that were bothered was 23.2%. Storage phase symptoms (nocturia, urgency, daytime frequency and painful bladder) were common among respondents. Of these, nocturia was the commonest with 35.0% prevalence. Voiding symptoms (hesitancy, straining and intermittency) were also found. Straining at micturition and intermittency were the commonest of these, occurring in 7.2% of respondents. Urinary incontinence was found in 15% of respondents [urge (9.4%), stress (6.7%), nocturnal enuresis (2.2%) and overflow (0.9%)]. Among those that had any LUTS, 34.1% were bothered and this association was statistically significant (P = <0.0001). Of those with storage symptoms, 30.1% were bothered; 22.6% of those with voiding symptoms were bothered and 27.0% were bothered among those with urinary incontinence.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that LUTS are common among young Nigerian women and a significant proportion of them are bothered by these symptoms.