Overactive bladder syndrome among community-dwelling adults in Taiwan: prevalence, correlates, perception, and treatment seeking

• Published in: Urologia internationalis Vol. 77; no. 4; p. 327
• Main Authors: Yu, Hong-Jeng, Liu, Cheng-Ying, Lee, Kuang-Lug, Lee, Wei-Chia, Chen, Tony Hsiu-Hsi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland 01.01.2006
• Subjects: Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Population Surveillance; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies; Sex Distribution; Syndrome; Taiwan - epidemiology; Urinary Bladder, Overactive - epidemiology; Urinary Bladder, Overactive - therapy; Taiwan
• ISSN: 0042-1138
• DOI: 10.1159/000096337

We investigated the prevalence, correlates, perception of overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) and doctor-consultation behavior among community adults. This urological survey was part of a government-supported health utilization project conducted in Matsu, Taiwan. Participants (n = 1,827) completed a questionnaire collecting information on OAB, which was defined as urgency with either frequency or nocturia. The age-adjusted prevalence of OAB was 16.9%, including 4.5% with urge incontinence. Age (p = 0.002), diabetes (p = 0.03), and benign prostatic hyperplasia (p < 0.001) in men, whereas diabetes (p = 0.01), hyperlipidemia (p = 0.03), stress incontinence (p < 0.001), and recurrent lower urinary tract infections (p = 0.02) in women were factors independently associated with OAB. Most people with OAB (69.0%) perceived little bother; only 13.0% had consulted doctors for this problem. Symptoms related to OAB are common among community-dwelling adults, yet most perceive it as a minor problem. Our results identify several factors that are significantly associated with OAB.