RESEARCH - Lower urinary tract symptoms in female patients with RA

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Scand J Rheumatol. 2006 Mar-Apr;35(2):96-101.

Lower urinary tract symptoms in female patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Lee KL, Chen MY, Yeh JH, Huang SW, Tai HC, Yu HJ.

Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and

College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus

erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren's syndrome (SS) are associated with an

increased severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Recent surveys

also reveal that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is prevalent in patients with

interstitial cystitis (IC). Therefore, we have investigated LUTS in patients

with RA. METHODS: A total of 198 female patients with RA, aged 40 years or

older, from the rheumatology outpatient clinic completed this prospective

study. The American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI) score was

used to assess the severity of LUTS and the O'Leary-Sant Symptom Index

(ICSI) was used to evaluate IC-like urinary symptoms in these patients,

which were compared to those of 679 age-matched controls. The possible

associations of clinical parameters with LUTS were also explored. RESULTS:

The Mean AUASI score and the percentage of individuals reporting severe LUTS

(AUASI score > or = 20) or IC-like urinary symptoms (ICSI score > or = 12)

showed no significant differences between the RA and control groups.

However, in the RA group multivariate regression analyses identified

patients with secondary SS (n = 21) to be associated with a significantly

higher AUASI score (p = 0.007) and a higher percentage of severe LUTS (p =

0.02); these were also significantly higher than those of the control group

(p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively).

CONCLUSION: Patients with RA have similar urinary complaints when compared

to controls. However, those with secondary SS have a greater severity of

LUTS, a finding similar to that observed in patients with primary SS.

PMID: 16641041

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Retrieve & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=16641041

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