Survey of lower urinary tract symptoms in United States women using the new lower urinary tract dysfunction research Network-Symptom Index 29 (LURN-SI-29) and a national research registry

Ariana L Smith; Jingwen Chen; Jean F Wyman; Diane K Newman; Amanda Berry; Kathryn Schmitz; Ann E Stapleton; Heather Klusaritz; George Lin; Hanna Stambakio; Siobhan Sutcliffe

doi:10.1002/nau.24870

Survey of lower urinary tract symptoms in United States women using the new lower urinary tract dysfunction research Network-Symptom Index 29 (LURN-SI-29) and a national research registry

Neurourol Urodyn. 2022 Feb;41(2):650-661. doi: 10.1002/nau.24870. Epub 2022 Jan 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Urology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
² Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
³ Division of Nursing Research, University of Minnesota School of Nursing, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
⁴ Division of Urology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁵ Division of Public Health Sciences, Penn State University State College, State College, Pennsylvania, USA.
⁶ Division of Infectious Disease, University of Washington Seattle, Seattle, Washington, USA.
⁷ Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

PMID: 35032354
DOI: 10.1002/nau.24870

Abstract

Purpose: An online bladder health survey was administered to national registry volunteers to: (1) determine the feasibility of using ResearchMatch for studying lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS); (2) pilot the new, comprehensive Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network Symptom Index-29 (LURN-SI-29) and determine its ability to detect known associations with LUTS; and (3) explore novel areas of bladder health in community-based women.

Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was administered to a random sample of ResearchMatch adult female, transgender and non-binary volunteers. Participant demographics, health characteristics, the LURN-SI-29, and LUTS-related experiences were collected.

Results: A total of 1725 ReseachMatch volunteers with a mean age of 44.0 years completed the study and were eligible for the analysis. Participants were primarily white, cisgendered, highly educated, nulliparous, and premenopausal. The median LURN-SI-29 score was 17 (interquartile range: 11-26). More than half the sample reported urinary urgency (71.0%), nocturia (65.7%), and stress incontinence (52.3%) a "few times" or more in the last 7 days. Approximately half reported sensation of incomplete bladder emptying (49.6%) with one-third reporting urgency incontinence (37.6%); notably, 52.6% of respondents reported being at least "somewhat" bothered by LUTS. LURN-SI-29 scores increased with age, body mass index, decrements in self-reported health, medical comorbidity, parity, menopausal status, and urinary symptom bother, providing evidence of convergent validity. LURN-SI-29 scores varied by race and education, with the lowest scores in Asian and highly educated women.

Conclusion: Overall, the prevalence and spectrum of LUTS in an online research registry of women volunteers were high and comparable to other population-based samples. The new LURN-SI-29 demonstrated its ability to detect expected associations with demographic and health characteristics in a nonclinical population.

Keywords: LURN-SI-29; bladder health; electronic survey; lower urinary tract symptoms; women's health.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms*
Prevalence
Registries
Surveys and Questionnaires
Urinary Bladder
Urinary Incontinence, Stress* / epidemiology

Grants and funding

UL1 TR002494/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States