Relationship between Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Treatment-Related Behavior in an Eastern European Country: Findings from the LUTS POLAND Study

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) on behavior related to treatment of Polish adults aged ≥ 40 years. Methods: We conducted a computer-assisted telephone survey with a study sample stratified by age, sex, and place of residence (type, size, urban versus rural) reflecting the entire Polish population. Participants rated the frequency and symptom-specific bother of individual LUTS and their effects on seeking and receiving treatment, treatment satisfaction, and treatment continuation. We adjusted multiple logistic regression models to analyze the simultaneous effects of predictor variables on each dependent variable. Results: Overall, 6005 participants completed the interview. One third (29.6–33.5%) of participants with LUTS were seeking treatment, and 24.0–26.4% received treatment. There was no difference in treatment seeking and receiving between urban and rural areas. Whereas storage and voiding symptoms were significantly related to treatment seeking by both men and women, treatment receiving correlated only with voiding symptoms in men and only with storage symptoms in women. Most respondents who received treatment were satisfied; treatment dissatisfaction was related to the presence of storage symptoms in both men and women. Only 50% of all participants continued their treatment; discontinuation of treatment was statistically more prevalent for women than for men. Conclusion: This investigation, the first population-representative study performed in Eastern Europe, revealed a low frequency of seeking treatment for LUTS. In addition, symptoms that inclined participants to seek treatment might not have been adequately addressed by the treatment they received. We also found a relatively high rate of treatment discontinuation. Clearly, there is a need for both improved patient education about LUTS treatment and a need for increased clinician awareness of the coexistence of different symptoms in men and women plus proactive evaluation by physicians for all types of LUTS and associated bother.

Life Disturbance and Hospital Visit Barriers among Chinese Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Qualitative Interview Study

“…The majority of patients enrolled in our study had previously visited a doctor (88.9%), which is higher than the low rates reported in other studies, mainly because of the longer medical history and more severe symptoms [5,23,24]. However, the patients had two kinds of delayed treatment in the illness process.…”

Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Overactive Bladder in a Large Cohort of Older Poles—A Representative Tele-Survey

“…This study is a further analysis of data from LUTS POLAND, the first large populationrepresentative, geographically comprehensive (urban and rural), and prospective investigation of LUTS and OAB in a Central-Eastern European country. The concept and detailed methodology for LUTS POLAND have been described in detail elsewhere [13,14].…”

Population-Level Prevalence, Bother, and Treatment Behavior for Urinary Incontinence in an Eastern European Country: Findings from the LUTS POLAND Study

“…The data for this report originate from LUTS POLAND, a large, population-representative, prospective, cross-sectional assessment of lower urinary tract and bladder problems in Polish individuals. Detailed descriptions of the concepts, study design, methodology, and data collection for LUTS POLAND are published [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]; thus, these items are described only in brief in this paper. LUTS POLAND interviewed a geographically comprehensive (urban and rural) and representative pool of Polish men and women, aged ≥ 40 years.…”