Urinary disorders are generally well understood, but there are few reports on the urinary status of people living in unusual climates such as the polar regions. We studied the impact of living conditions on the urinary status of members of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition.
This prospective study enrolled 12 consenting members of the wintering party stationed at the Syowa Station in Antarctica between November 2012 and March 2014. The subjects completed questionnaires (the International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS], Overactive Bladder Syndrome Score [OABSS] and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]) and kept daily voiding dairies for 3 days consecutively every 2 months.
Compared with baseline values, the mean scores on all the questionnaires decreased during the stay in Antarctica, from 3.42 to 2.31 for the IPSS, 1.25 to 0.986 for the OABSS, and 4.58 to 3.78 on the PSQI. A significant difference was noted in the scores of seven subjects with a 3 point or more decrease in IPSS score and five members with a decrease less than 3 points (-2.22 vs 0.448, P = 0.0416).
This is the first survey of the urinary status of people living in a polar environment. The findings obtained by questionnaires and voiding dairies indicated that urination and sleep status did not worsen during the stay in Antarctica.
Lower urinary tract symptoms. 2016 Jul 20 [Epub ahead of print]
Atsushi Ikeda, Koji Kawai, Masakazu Tsutsumi, Koji Yoshimura, Giichiro Ohno, Tatsuhisa Hasegawa, Hirofumi Ooe, Kentaro Watanabe, Jun Miyazaki, Hiroyuki Nishiyama
Department of Urology, Hitachi General Hospital, Ibaraki, Japan., Department of Urology, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan., Department of Urology, Hitachi General Hospital, Ibaraki, Japan., Department of Urology, Shizuoka General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan., Department of Surgery, Tokatsu Hospital, Chiba, Japan., The 54th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, Tokyo, Japan., The 54th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, Tokyo, Japan., National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo, Japan., Department of Urology, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan., Department of Urology, Hitachi General Hospital, Ibaraki, Japan.