title: Lower urinary tract symptoms in women with benign joint hypermobility syndrome: a case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS) is a connective tissue disorder associated with joint hypermobility. BJHS is under-recognised by medical professionals and is poorly managed. The aim of our study was to determine whether lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), including urinary incontinence (UI) and anterior compartment prolapse, are more common in women with BJHS than in the normal population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective case-control study. Women diagnosed with BJHS according to the Brighton criteria were recruited from a tertiary referral clinic. Controls were recruited from hospital personnel. Both groups completed the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) and the Prolapse Quality of Life Questionnaire (P-QoL). Objective assessment of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) was undertaken using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) system. Analyses were performed using SPSS version 17.0. The statistical difference was analysed using McNemar's test. Comparison of QoL scores was performed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty individuals were recruited and matched with 60 healthy women. The prevalence of UI in those with BJHS was significantly higher than in controls(73.3 % vs. 48.3 %). The impact of UI on QoL was statistically significant in all domains of the KHQ. There was a significant difference between groups in most urinary-specific symptoms of the KHQ. A significant number of women with BJHS suffer from voiding difficulties. Prolapse of the anterior vaginal wall was objectively more severe in those with BJHS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women with BJHS have LUTS and anterior compartment prolapse, which significantly impair their QoL. It is important to identify women who are symptomatic. The addition of a systematic active case-finding approach may be more effective in identifying these cases.
authors: King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. heleni.mastoroudes@nhs.net
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Mastoroudes
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Giarenis
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Cardozo
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Srikrishna
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Vella
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Robinson
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Kazkaz
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Grahame
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000150:complications*; D059411:Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D056887:Pelvic Organ Prolapse / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D006113:United Kingdom; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult