title: Self-reported urinary incontinence, voiding frequency, voided volume and pad-test results: variables in a prospective study in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the congruence between self-reported and objective data on incontinence, voided volume (VV) and voiding frequency (VF), in a prospective study of treatment of functional urinary incontinence (UI) due to urge syndrome or dysfunctional voiding in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 202 children, enrolled in the European Bladder Dysfunction Study (EBDS), provided self-reported data on UI, VV and VF, before and after treatment, with validated questionnaires and 72-h voiding diaries. Objective data were obtained with uroflowmetry and a 12-h pad test, also before and after treatment. Questionnaires and diaries were checked and scored by a urotherapist, at scheduled office visits that were combined with uroflowmetry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At entry, parents under-reported UI on the questionnaires in 45% of cases, compared with the urotherapist's scores, and the 12-h pad test sensitivity for UI was only 64% (95% confidence interval 55-73%). The voiding diaries had inconsistent entries on UI and on VV. VF was overestimated in the questionnaires and underestimated in the diaries, compared with the urotherapist's scores. A VF of >7/day decreased significantly after EBDS treatment, but with no correlation with treatment outcome. The mean VV increased significantly after treatment for UI, also with no correlation with treatment outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Voiding diaries and questionnaires are useful tools for charting individual treatment and for screening, but they are ill-suited to documenting outcome variables in urge syndrome or dysfunctional voiding, because of over- and under-reporting. VV and VF lack specificity as outcome variables in children with urge syndrome or dysfunctional voiding. The 12-h pad test is not sensitive enough to complement self-reported symptoms of UI in children with urge syndrome or dysfunctional voiding. Clinical studies on UI rely on complaints and self-reported symptoms, but in children the reporting should be supervised by a trained urotherapist, to provide the necessary checks and balances.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Nephrology, University Hospital Antwerp, Belgium. anbael@attglobal.net
authors.forename: An M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bael
authors.forename: Hildegard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lax
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirche
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gäbel
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: Anna-Lena
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hellström
authors.forename: Roelie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Zon
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Janhsen
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Güntek
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Renson
authors.forename: Jan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: van Gool
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016496:Incontinence Pads; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012650:Self Disclosure; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D014563:Urodynamics / Q000502:physiology*