Population-Based Survey of Urinary Incontinence, Overactive Bladder, and Other Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Five Developing Countries: Results of the Bebic Study Publisher Pubmed

Summary: Study finds high rates of urinary incontinence and symptoms in low-income countries, especially in women. #Urology #GlobalHealth

Hajebrahimi S^{1, 2} ; Gomes CM³ ; Farhadi F¹ ; Khan HS⁴ ; Sadeghibazarghani H¹ ; Mourad S⁵ ; Dias L⁶ ; Alflen MP⁶ ; Falone JC⁶ ; Zargham M⁷ ; Mbassi AA⁸ ; Pourmomeny A⁹ ; Alineghad F¹⁰ ; Ashayeri H¹¹ Show All Authors
Source: Neurourology and Urodynamics Published:2025

Abstract

Background and Objective: 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. Materials and Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusion: A high prevalence of urinary symptoms was reported in low to middle-income countries. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.