title: Sleep and partner-specific quality of life in partners of men with lower urinary tract symptoms compared with partners of men from the general population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were to examine differences between partners of men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO) and partners of men from the population regarding sleep and two aspects of quality of life, partner-specific quality of life and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and to identify factors related to the partner-specific quality of life and the parameter sleep efficiency.
  
  
  METHODS
  The design was descriptive and comparative. The subjects were partners of men with LUTS suggestive of BPO (n = 126) and partners of randomly selected men from the general population (n = 131). Self-administered questionnaires about demography, comorbidity, sleep, sexuality, partner-specific quality of life and HRQoL were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Partners of men with LUTS suggestive of BPO were significantly more affected in all variables measuring partner-specific quality of life compared with partners from the population. The most impaired aspects were compassion and worry about an operation or cancer. In logistic regression, the only explanatory factors were having a partner belonging to the LUTS group for impaired partner-specific quality of life and having a bed partner for high sleep efficiency. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding the quantity and quality of sleep or the HRQoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The partner-specific quality of life was impaired in partners of men with LUTS suggestive of BPO. Sleep and HRQoL did not differ between partners of men with LUTS and partners from the population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Welfare Studies, Division HAV, Health, Activity, Care, Faculty of Health Sciences.
authors.forename: Helén
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Marklund
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spångberg
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Edéll-Gustafsson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D059411:Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012890:Sleep; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Benign prostatic hyperplasia; insomnia; lower urinary tract symptoms; partner; quality of life; sleep disorders