title: Worldwide prevalence estimates of lower urinary tract symptoms, overactive bladder, urinary incontinence and bladder outlet obstruction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  • To estimate and predict worldwide and regional prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), overactive bladder (OAB), urinary incontinence (UI) and LUTS suggestive of bladder outlet obstruction (LUTS/BOO) in 2008, 2013 and 2018 based on current International Continence Society symptom definitions in adults aged ≥20 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  • Numbers and prevalence of individuals affected by each condition were calculated with an estimation model using gender- and age-stratified prevalence data from the EPIC study along with gender- and age-stratified worldwide and regional population estimates from the US Census Bureau International Data Base.
  
  
  RESULTS
  • An estimated 45.2%, 10.7%, 8.2% and 21.5% of the 2008 worldwide population (4.3 billion) was affected by at least one LUTS, OAB, UI and LUTS/BOO, respectively. By 2018, an estimated 2.3 billion individuals will be affected by at least one LUTS (18.4% increase), 546 million by OAB (20.1%), 423 million by UI (21.6%) and 1.1 billion by LUTS/BOO (18.5%). • The regional burden of these conditions is estimated to be greatest in Asia, with numbers of affected individuals expected to increase most in the developing regions of Africa (30.1-31.1% increase across conditions, 2008-2018), South America (20.5-24.7%) and Asia (19.7-24.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • This model suggests that LUTS, OAB, UI and LUTS/BOO are highly prevalent conditions worldwide. Numbers of affected individuals are projected to increase with time, with the greatest increase in burden anticipated in developing regions. • There are important worldwide public-health and clinical management implications to be considered over the next decade to effectively prevent and manage these conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. dirwin@email.unc.edu
authors.forename: Debra E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Irwin
authors.forename: Zoe S
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Kopp
authors.forename: Barnabie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Agatep
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Milsom
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Abrams
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D001748:Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D053201:Urinary Bladder, Overactive / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000453:epidemiology*