Department of Community Medicine and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Box: 24923, 13110, Safat, Kuwait.
BMC Pediatr. 2019 Mar 18;19(1):80. doi: 10.1186/s12887-019-1442-6.
Although dysmenorrhea is not a life-threatening condition, it can cause a substantial burden on individuals and communities. There is no data on the prevalence of dysmenorrhea in Kuwait. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dysmenorrhea among female public high-school students in Kuwait and investigate factors associated with dysmenorrhea.
A cross-sectional study using multistage cluster sampling with probability proportional to size method was conducted on 763 twelfth grade female public high-school students (aged 16-21 years). We used face-to-face interview with a structured questionnaire to collect data on dysmenorrhea and presumed risk factors. Weight and height of the students were measured using appropriate weight and height scales in a standardized manner. The association between dysmenorrhea and potential risk factors was assessed using multiple logistic regression.
The one-year prevalence of dysmenorrhea was found to be 85.6% (95%CI: 83.1-88.1%). Of the participants with dysmenorrhea, 26% visited a public or a private clinic for their pain and 4.1% were hospitalized for their menstrual pain. Furthermore, 58.2% of students with dysmenorrhea missed at least one school day and 13.9% missed at least one exam. Age of menarche (p-value = 0.005), regularity and flow of the menstrual period (p-value = 0.025, p-value = 0.009; respectively), and drinking coffee (p-value = 0.004) were significantly associated with dysmenorrhea in multivariable analysis.
Dysmenorrhea seems to be highly prevalent among female high-school students in Kuwait, resembling that of high-income countries. Because of the scale of the problem, utilizing school nurses to reassure and manage students with primary dysmenorrhea and referring suspected cases of secondary dysmenorrhea is recommended.
尽管痛经不是危及生命的疾病，但它会给个人和社区带来巨大负担。科威特尚无痛经患病率的数据。本研究旨在估计科威特公立高中女生痛经的患病率，并调查与痛经相关的因素。
采用多阶段整群概率比例抽样方法，对 763 名 16-21 岁的十二年级公立高中女生进行横断面研究。我们使用面对面访谈和结构化问卷收集痛经和推测危险因素的数据。以标准化方式使用适当的体重和身高秤测量学生的体重和身高。使用多因素逻辑回归评估痛经与潜在危险因素之间的关联。
痛经的一年患病率为 85.6%（95%CI：83.1-88.1%）。在痛经患者中，26%的人因疼痛而去公立或私立诊所就诊，4.1%的人因月经痛住院。此外，58.2%的痛经学生至少缺课一天，13.9%的学生至少缺考一次。初潮年龄（p 值=0.005）、月经周期的规律性和流量（p 值=0.025，p 值=0.009；分别）以及喝咖啡（p 值=0.004）在多变量分析中与痛经显著相关。
痛经在科威特的高中女生中似乎非常普遍，与高收入国家相似。鉴于问题的规模，建议利用学校护士来安抚和管理原发性痛经的学生，并转介疑似继发性痛经的病例。
