title: An Investigation of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Women Aged 40 and Over.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and associated risk factors in women aged 40 years and over.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out with a total of 312 women. The data were collected between 1 January 2009 and 30 July 2010. As research instruments, an interview form of 19 questions that questioned personal characteristics and was developed by researchers, and the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (BFLUTS) Questionnaire evaluating lower urinary tract symptoms were used. Linear regression analysis was used to detect associated risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rates of urgency, urinary incontinence, nocturia, and frequency symptoms were 61.5, 52.2, 18.9, and 25%, respectively. BFLUTS total scores increased with age, but the present study has detected no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05). BFLUTS scores of the women demonstrated statistically significant differences according to several risk factors including menopause status (P = 0.03), presence of chronic illness (P = 0.000), medicine use (P = 0.000), recurrent urinary tract infections (P = 0.000), body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.004), delivery number (P = 0.005) and chronic constipation (P = 0.002). Multiple linear regression analysis determined that frequent urinary tract infections, presence of chronic illness, chronic constipation, BMI and number of deliveries were significantly related to LUTS development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most common LUTS was urgency in women aged 40 years and older. Recurrent urinary tract infection was determined as the most significant risk factor for LUTS, followed by chronic illness, chronic constipation, higher BMI and parity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic and Obstetrics Clinics, Faculty of Medicine, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: Neziha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sever
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecologic and Obstetrics Nursing, Istanbul University Florence Nightingale Nursing Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Umran
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Oskay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D059411:Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: life quality; lower urinary tract symptoms; risk factor; urinary incontinence; women