Psychiatric disorders, sexual trauma associated with LUTS

Depression, anxiety disorders, and sexual trauma appear to be risk factors in lower urinary tract symptoms such as incontinence and overactive bladder, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Hospital, Richmond, administered two questionnaires to 121 women referred to a specialized urology clinic for evaluation of LUTS. Data were analyzed according to psychiatric comorbidities, history of sexual trauma, age, race, and obstetric history. Baseline incidence of psychiatric comorbidity and sexual trauma was also compared with a control population of 1,298 women from the Veterans Affairs primary care clinic.

Women referred for evaluation of LUTS had higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities (64.5% vs. 25.9%) and sexual trauma (49.6% vs. 20.1%) compared with those in the primary care clinic. Separate analysis showed that women younger than 50 years and with a history of miscarriage had higher Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 scores, while higher Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 scores were associated only with psychiatric comorbidities and history of miscarriage.

"This is the first study to our knowledge to characterize the association of psychiatric comorbidities and sexual trauma with the type, severity, and quality of life impact of LUTS in women using validated surveys," wrote first author Adam P. Klausner, MD, of Virginia Commonwealth. "The prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities and sexual trauma is high in women veterans presenting for evaluation of LUTS."

Study results appeared online in the Journal of Urology (Oct. 21, 2009).