Assessment of the Impact of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction on Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Saudi Arabia-A Cross-Sectional Study

Mansour Abdullah Alghamdi; Khaled Abdulwahab Amer; Abdulrahman Ali S Aldosari; Reemah Farhan Al Qahtani; Haneen Saeed Shar; Lujane Mohammed Al-Tarish; Rammas Abdullah Shawkhan; Mohammad Ali Alahmadi; Mohammed Abadi Alsaleem; Laith Naser Al-Eitan

doi:10.3390/healthcare11192694

Assessment of the Impact of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction on Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis Patients in Saudi Arabia-A Cross-Sectional Study

Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Oct 9;11(19):2694. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11192694.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia.
² Genomics and Personalized Medicine Unit, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia.
³ Internal Medicine Department, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha 62523, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Aseer Central Hospital, Abha 62523, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, College of Education, Taibah University, Madinah 42353, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
⁹ Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.

Abstract

Background: Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) is caused by neurogenic factors that could lead to permanent injury in affected patients, and therefore result in substantial annual healthcare expenses. LUTD is very prevalent in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and has a drastic impact on their quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to assess the effect of LUTD on the QOL of Saudi MS patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Saudi Arabia using a self-administered questionnaire that included the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) and LURN Symptom Index (LURN SI-29). Data were analyzed and presented as frequencies and percentages.

Results: There were 428 patients who participated in this study; 270 were females and 158 were males. Most of the patients received a low score in all sections of the LURN part of the questionnaire. The highest scores (urgent need to urinate and excessive urination at night) were recorded in the urgency domain (47.20 ± 36.88) rather than the nocturia domain (44.74 ± 32.91). Meanwhile, the lowest score (complete control of bladder) was recorded in the incontinence domain (22.80 ± 26.80). For the WHOQOL-BREF score, the highest score (more social stability) was in the social domain (65.07 ± 21.16 for females, 60.41 ± 21.54 for males), and the lowest score (less psychological stability) was in the psychological domain (46.36 ± 9.84 for females, 46.20 ± 10.03 for males). However, there was no significant association between the four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF and the gender of the MS patients.

Conclusions: LUTD is significantly associated with a lowered quality of life. Therefore, patients are recommended to consult with and be evaluated by appropriately experienced healthcare providers and clinicians. This ensures that the patients receive the best advice, accurate and effective treatment, and long-term analysis that can lead to an improvement in their quality of life.

Keywords: Saudi Arabia; healthcare surveys; lower urinary tract dysfunction; multiple sclerosis; quality of life.

Grants and funding

KKU-IFP2-DC-1/Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia