Chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms significantly affect medical students' well-being

Abdullah AlKhayal; Faisal Ali Alasmari; Bander Khaled Alomeyr; Saad Abumelha; Khalid Alrabeeah

doi:10.4103/UA.UA_110_20

Chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms significantly affect medical students' well-being

Urol Ann. 2022 Jul-Sep;14(3):259-264. doi: 10.4103/UA.UA_110_20. Epub 2022 Jul 18.

Authors

Abdullah AlKhayal^{1

2

3}, Faisal Ali Alasmari^{2

3}, Bander Khaled Alomeyr^{2

3}, Saad Abumelha^{1

2

3}, Khalid Alrabeeah^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ King Abdulaziz Medical City, Division of Urology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to determine the prevalence of chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) symptoms among male-medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Settings and design: It is a cross-sectional study at King Saudi Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, College of Medicine at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Subjects and methods: A total of 300 male medical students were given a hardcopy questionnaire to be filled anonymously that includes demographic characteristics, several questions regarding the health status, habits of the participants, and the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index for evaluating CPPS symptoms.

Statistical analysis used: SPSS (v21) was used for the analysis. Qualitative data presented by frequencies and percentages and quantitative data presented by median and interquartile range (Q1 to Q3). The Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to assess the relationship between the outcome variables with demographical data.

Results: In total 300 male medical students were surveyed, 245 medical students returned the questionnaire giving a response rate of 81.6%. The prevalence of CPPS symptoms among all participants was 57.9%. Majority of the participants does not have any associated medical/psychological conditions 152 (62%). Students with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or/and anxiety have statistically significant association with CPPS symptoms (P < 0.05). A total of 23% of students with CPPS reported being impaired with their quality of life (QOL), while 77% are satisfied.

Conclusions: The prevalence of CPPS symptoms among male medical students is high. Anxiety, IBS, and lack of activity might be associated with CPPS symptoms, which have a significant negative impact on the QOL. For the future direction, a large-scale global study should be conducted to link the effects of CPPS symptoms on male medical students well-being.

Keywords: Chronic pelvic pain syndrome; National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index; interquartile range; irritable bowel syndrome; quality of life; the International Classification of Diseases-9.