Lower urinary tract symptoms in older Chinese American women: prevalence and risk factors.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS

The aim was to examine the prevalence of and risk factors for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in a community-dwelling cohort of older Chinese American women.

METHODS

We performed a secondary analysis of a prospective cross-sectional population-based survey of community-dwelling Chinese Americans aged 60 and older in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Taishanese, or Teochew between 2011 and 2013. A clinical Review of Systems (ROS) was used to assess LUTS, which included urinary frequency, urgency, burning or pain, blood in urine, and urinary incontinence.

RESULTS

Of the 1,829 women queried, 28.6% reported LUTS. The cohort of women who reported LUTS had a mean ± SD age of 74.7 ± 8.7 years, with a BMI of 23.4 ± 3.7 kg/m and had lived in the USA for 21.5 ± 13.1 years. Nearly 90% earned less than $10,000 a year, 50% were married, and 50% used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) once monthly or more. In comparison with women without LUTS, women with LUTS had significantly higher rates of medical comorbidities and a poorer perception of their general health and quality of life. In multivariate regression analysis, any LUTS were significantly associated with older age (aOR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.04), TCM use (aOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.34-2.07), anxiety (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.02-2.06), depression (aOR 2.00, 95% CI 1.53-2.61), and a history of stroke (aOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.19-3.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower urinary tract symptoms are common among older Chinese American women, particularly in those who are older, use TCM regularly, or report a history of anxiety, depression, or stroke.