Lower urinary tract symptoms in female patients with rheumatoid arthritis

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of rheumatology 2006-01, Vol.35 (2), p.96-101
• Main Authors: Lee, K-L., Chen, M-Y., Yeh, J-H., Huang, S-W., Tai, H-C., Yu, H-J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - complications; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cystitis - complications; Cystitis - epidemiology; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Female; Humans; Inflammatory joint diseases; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nephrology. Urinary tract diseases; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; United States - epidemiology; Urinary system involvement in other diseases. Miscellaneous; Urinary tract. Prostate gland; Urination Disorders - complications; Urination Disorders - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0300-9742; 1502-7732
• DOI: 10.1080/03009740500395278

Objective: Patients with autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjögren'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 20) or IC-like urinary symptoms (ICSI score 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.