This study aimed to assess the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in five selected low and middle-income countries to provide appropriate evidence for other related studies.
In this multinational population-based cross-sectional survey between August 2019 and April 2021, validated questionnaires were used to assess LUTS in adults over 18 years from Iran, Egypt, Bangladesh, Brazil, and Cameroon.
A total of 1477 participants from five countries completed the questionnaires. The mean age of participants was 43.5 ± 15.7 years. 37.1% reported at least one episode of UI per week. UUI prevalence in different countries analysis showed that the commonest prevalence was reported in Cameron (40.0%; n = 30), while the lowest was 15.0% (n = 31) in Brazil. Stress UI was common in Iran (38.7%; n = 338), and Bangladesh had the lowest rate (7.8%; n = 16). Urinary urgency was the common LUTS among participants (59.9%, n = 818 out of 1477 participants). Nocturia was the other prevalent symptom among cases (50.6%; 748 out of 1477 cases), and this symptom had a higher rate in elderly populations. Men reported voiding and postmicturition symptoms more frequently than women. Storage symptoms except for nocturia, including frequency, urgency, and UI were common in women while voiding symptoms, including straining, and intermittency were reported more frequently in men than women.
A high prevalence of urinary symptoms was reported in low to middle-income countries.
Neurourology and urodynamics. 2024 Nov 14 [Epub ahead of print]
Sakineh Hajebrahimi, Cristiano M Gomes, Fereshteh Farhadi, Hasina Sadia Khan, Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazarghani, Sherif Mourad, Luiz Dias, Maico P Alflen, Joao C Falone, Mahtab Zargham, Achille Aurelien Mbassi, Abbasali Pourmomeny, Farbod Alineghad, Hamidreza Ashayeri, Azar Daneshpajooh, Sona Tayebi, Hanieh Salehi-Pourmehr
Research Center for Evidence-Based Medicine, Iranian EBM Centre: A JBI Centre of Excellence, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran., School of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil., Urology & Transplantation Centre, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh., Urology Department, ICS Developing World Committee, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt., Department of Urology, Faculdade de Medicina de Jundiai, Jundiaí, Brazil., Pelvic Floor Research Center, Urology Department of School Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Provincial Hospital, Maroua, Cameroon., Pelvic Floor Research Center, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran., Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran., Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran., Department of Urology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran., Department of Urology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.