Diabetic individuals frequently have lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), a form of hidden and inexplicable morbidity. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have a complex etiology of LUTS. However, the physical and emotional pain that LUTS causes is well documented. Therefore, this research aimed to characterize LUTS in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, examine potential risk factors for it and evaluate the impact of LUTS on the quality of life of people with diabetes. Data from 378 people with diabetes was collected from primary care clinics over a 6-month period. Data was gathered using the Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6), the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 (IIQ-7), and questions about demographic and clinical factors. The analysis was done both in a univariate and multivariate fashion.
There were 378 people who took part in the study. A significant percentage were between the ages of 58 and 67 (29.9%). Some women made up 49% of the sample. About two-thirds of the group were overweight, while half were overweight. In this study, type 2 diabetes accounted for 81% of all cases. All of them, or nearly all of them, are undergoing some sort of medical therapy. The median scores on the UDI-6 scale were 5.50 (2.00-8.00), and on the IIQ-7 scale, a score of 5 (0.00-10.00) was reported. Residency (P=0.038) and regular exercise (P=0.001) were shown to have a significant inverse relationship with the UDI-6 score, while female gender (P=0.042), insulin use (P=0.009), and the presence of comorbidities (P=0.007) were found to have positive relationships with the UDI-6 score. In addition, the IIQ-7 score was positively and strongly correlated with both age (P=0.040) and BMI (P<0.001).
In people with diabetes, LUTS is a major cause of disability. LUTS is modifiable and controllable, although it is made worse by factors like age, body mass index, and co-morbidities. Diabetic patients, on the other hand, benefit from regular exercise and weight loss techniques in the treatment of LUTS.
Source: bmcurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12894-022-01133-1
