Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Neurourol Urodyn. 2022 Nov;41(8):1770-1780. doi: 10.1002/nau.25020. Epub 2022 Aug 21.
Researchers and clinicians tend to focus on one pelvic floor symptom (PFS) at the time. However, the pelvic floor acts as one functional unit, increasing the likelihood of concurrent PFS in patients with pelvic floor dysfunction. There is also a paucity of literature on the prevalence of concomitant PFS, especially in males. Therefore, we explored the occurrence of concomitant PFS in community-dwelling males and females.
This prospective observational population-based cohort study included males and females aged ≥16 years from a single Dutch municipality. Participants completed validated questionnaires on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), defecation problems, sexual dysfunction, pelvic pain, and pelvic organ prolapse. Medical general practitioner records were examined. Furthermore, a randomly selected group of non-responders aged <80 years received a short questionnaire, to study response bias.
We invited 11 724 people, among which 839 females and 566 males completed the questionnaires. Of the female participants, 286 (34.1%) reported no PFS, and 251 (29.9%) reported two or more PFS. The most prevalent PFS clusters in females were sexual dysfunction and pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction and defecation problems, LUTS and defecation problems, and LUTS, defecation problems, and pelvic pain. Of the male participants, 212 (37.5%) reported no PFS, and 191 (33.7%) reported two or more PFS. The most prevalent clusters in males were sexual dysfunction and LUTS, defecation problems and LUTS, and sexual dysfunction, LUTS, and defecation problems.
A considerable overlap existed between PFS, with differences in PFS clusters between females and males. Of note, females reported pelvic pain more than males. We conclude that healthcare providers should address all PFS in males and females.
研究人员和临床医生往往专注于一个盆底功能障碍性疾病（PFS）症状。然而，盆底作为一个功能单元，增加了患者同时存在 PFS 的可能性。关于同时存在的 PFS 的患病率，特别是在男性中，文献也很少。因此，我们探讨了社区居住的男性和女性同时存在 PFS 的情况。
这是一项前瞻性观察性基于人群的队列研究，包括来自荷兰一个单一市的年龄≥16 岁的男性和女性。参与者完成了关于下尿路症状（LUTS）、排便问题、性功能障碍、盆腔疼痛和盆腔器官脱垂的有效问卷。检查了全科医生的医疗记录。此外，还对随机选择的一组年龄<80 岁的未应答者进行了简短问卷调查，以研究应答偏倚。
我们邀请了 11724 人，其中 839 名女性和 566 名男性完成了问卷。在女性参与者中，286 人（34.1%）报告没有 PFS，251 人（29.9%）报告有两个或更多 PFS。女性最常见的 PFS 集群是性功能障碍和盆腔疼痛、性功能障碍和排便问题、LUTS 和排便问题，以及 LUTS、排便问题和盆腔疼痛。在男性参与者中，212 人（37.5%）报告没有 PFS，191 人（33.7%）报告有两个或更多 PFS。男性最常见的集群是性功能障碍和 LUTS、排便问题和 LUTS，以及性功能障碍、LUTS 和排便问题。
PFS 之间存在相当大的重叠，女性和男性之间的 PFS 集群存在差异。值得注意的是，女性比男性报告更多的盆腔疼痛。我们的结论是，医疗保健提供者应该在男性和女性中解决所有的 PFS。
