Overactive bladder syndrome among community-dwelling adults in Taiwan: prevalence, correlates, perception, and treatment seeking.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the prevalence, correlates, perception of overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) and doctor-consultation behavior among community adults.


METHODS
This urological survey was part of a government-supported health utilization project conducted in Matsu, Taiwan. Participants (n = 1,827) completed a questionnaire collecting information on OAB, which was defined as urgency with either frequency or nocturia.


RESULTS
The age-adjusted prevalence of OAB was 16.9%, including 4.5% with urge incontinence. Age (p = 0.002), diabetes (p = 0.03), and benign prostatic hyperplasia (p < 0.001) in men, whereas diabetes (p = 0.01), hyperlipidemia (p = 0.03), stress incontinence (p < 0.001), and recurrent lower urinary tract infections (p = 0.02) in women were factors independently associated with OAB. Most people with OAB (69.0%) perceived little bother; only 13.0% had consulted doctors for this problem.


CONCLUSIONS
Symptoms related to OAB are common among community-dwelling adults, yet most perceive it as a minor problem. Our results identify several factors that are significantly associated with OAB.
Yu
Hong-Jeng
HJ
Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. yhj5251@ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw
Liu
Cheng-Ying
CY
Lee
Kuang-Lug
KL
Lee
Wei-Chia
WC
Chen
Tony Hsiu-Hsi
TH
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013577:Syndrome; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D053201:Urinary Bladder, Overactive / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*