The prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and overactive bladder (OAB) by racial/ethnic group and age: Results from OAB-POLL

• Published in: Neurourology and urodynamics Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 230 - 237
• Main Authors: Coyne, Karin S., Sexton, Chris C., Bell, Jill A., Thompson, Christine L., Dmochowski, Roger, Bavendam, Tamara, Chen, Chieh-I, Quentin Clemens, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.03.2013; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Age Distribution; Age Factors; Aged; Chi-Square Distribution; Cross-Sectional Studies; epidemiology; ethnic group; Ethnic Groups - statistics & numerical data; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health Surveys; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Internet; Likert scale; Logistic Models; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms - diagnosis; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms - ethnology; Male; Men; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; OAB; Prevalence; race; Risk Factors; Sex Distribution; Sex Factors; Studies; United States - epidemiology; Urinary Bladder, Overactive - diagnosis; Urinary Bladder, Overactive - ethnology; Women; Young Adult; United States
• ISSN: 0733-2467; 1520-6777
• DOI: 10.1002/nau.22295

Aims To estimate the prevalence of LUTS and OAB in a large, ethnically diverse US study. Methods This cross‐sectional, population‐representative survey was conducted via the Internet in the US among 10,000 men and women aged 18–70 (2,000 African‐Americans [AA], 2,000 Hispanics, 6,000 whites). The LUTS tool assessed how often participants experienced LUTS during the past 4 weeks on a five‐point Likert scale. OAB was defined by the presence of urinary urgency ≥ “sometimes” or ≥ “often,” and/or the presence of urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate group differences. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the impact of racial/ethnic group on OAB. Results Response rate, 56.7%. Prevalent LUTS included terminal dribble and nocturia across gender, post‐micturition leaking (men), and stress incontinence (women). Prevalence of OAB ≥ “sometimes” and ≥ “often” were 17% and 8% in men and 30% and 20% in women—with significantly higher rates among AA men and women. A similar trend was found for UUI among men (AA, 10%; Hispanic and whites, 6%), while AA and white women had higher prevalence of UUI (19%) as compared to Hispanic women (16%). In logistic regression analyses, AA and Hispanic men and women were significantly more likely than whites to have OAB despite having lower prevalence of self‐reported comorbid conditions and risk factors. Conclusions LUTS and OAB are highly prevalent in both men and women and increase with advancing age. Further, racial/ethnic group is a robust predictor of OAB in men and women. Neurourol. Urodynam. 32: 230–237, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.