Prevalence, evaluation and management of overactive bladder in primary care

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients with overactive bladder (OAB) are under-diagnosed in the primary care setting. Primary care physicians (PCP) approach to the patient and appropriate patient disclosure may contribute to under-diagnosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An outpatient primary care setting was used to determine the prevalence and characteristics of OAB. Patients who visited the family medicine outpatient clinic were invited to answer a self-administered questionnaire. It included questions on evidence of lower urinary tract symptoms (modified Overactive Bladder-Validated 8-question Screener [OAB-V8]), relevant medical and surgical history, and demographic data. Relationship between OAB and other independent variables were analyzed using chi-square and risk ratio (RR) analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 325 questionnaires distributed, 311 were returned completed. Patients ranged from 18 to 97 years, the majority women (74.0%) and African American (74.3%). OAB was present in 60.5% of men and 48.3% of women (<it>p </it>= 0.058). OAB was significantly associated with obesity (BMI > = 30) in women (<it>p </it>= 0.018, RR = 1.72), specifically obese premenopausal women (age < 55 years) (<it>p </it>= 0.011, RR = 1.98).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>OAB prevalence is more than double and higher in men than previously reported. The relative risk for OAB is significantly greater in obese premenopausal women.</p

The diagnostic strength of the 24-h pad test for self-reported symptoms of urinary incontinence in pregnancy and after childbirth

The clinical impact of incontinence in pregnancy and after childbirth is growing because some studies report the efficacy of physiotherapy in pregnancy and because obstetric choices are supposed to have significant impact on post-reproductive urinary function (Goldberg et al. in Am J Obstet Gynecol 188:1447–1450, 2003). Thus, the need for objective measurement of urinary incontinence in pregnancy is growing. Data on pad testing in pregnancy are lacking. We assessed the clinical relevance of the 24-h pad test during pregnancy and after childbirth, compared with data on self-reported symptoms of urinary incontinence and visual analogue score. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve, the diagnostic value of pad testing for measuring (severity of) self-reported incontinence during pregnancy is not of clinical relevance. However, for the purposes of research, pad tests, combined with subjective/qualitative considerations, play a critical role in allowing comparisons across studies, quantifying the amount of urine loss and establishing a measure of severity

Knowledge, practice, and barriers toward cervical cancer screening in Elmina, Southern Ghana

Nancy Innocentia Ebu,1 Sylvia C Mupepi,2 Mate Peter Siakwa,1 Carolyn M Sampselle3 1University of Cape Coast, School of Nursing, Cape Coast, Ghana; 2Kirkhof College of Nursing, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA; 3School of Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Aims: The aims of this study were: 1) to assess the level of knowledge of women about Pap smear tests, 2) to determine the practices of women regarding Pap smear tests, and 3) to determine the barriers to Pap smear tests in Elmina, Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 392 randomly selected sexually active females aged 10&ndash;74 years using structured interview questions. The Institutional Review Board of the University of Cape Coast gave ethical approval for the study and informed consent was obtained from participants. Data were analyzed with SPSS software (v19.0) using frequencies, chi-square test, and exploratory factor analysis. Results: The results revealed that 68.4% had never heard about cervical cancer, 93.6% had no knowledge on the risk factors, nine (2.3%) reported multiple sexual partners and being sexually active as risk factors, and 92% did not know about the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer. The majority (97.7%) had never heard of the Pap smear test. Only three (0.8%) women out of 392 had had a Pap smear test. Reasons for seeking a Pap smear test included referral, fear of cervical cancer, and radio campaigns. A significant association was found between institutional and personal barriers and having a Pap smear test. Conclusion: Comprehensive education on cervical cancer screening and removal of access barriers are critical in reducing risk associated with the disease and promoting women&#39;s health. Keywords: women, cervical screening, awareness, factors, community, developing countrie

Levator ani function before and after childbirth

To evaluate pelvic floor muscle strength before and after vaginal birth. Design Prospective repeated measures study. Setting Main district hospital. Population Fifty-five women: 25 primiparae and 20 multiparae following vaginal birth, and 10 women following elective caesarean delivery as a control group. Methods Pelvic muscle strength was evaluated by palpation, perineometry and perineal ultrasound before childbirth in the 36th to 42nd week of pregnancy, three to eight days postpartum and six to ten weeks postpartum. Main outcome measures Pelvic floor muscle strength on palpation, intravaginal squeeze pressure and vesical neck elevation during squeeze. Results Pelvic floor muscle strength is significantly reduced three to eight days postpartum in women following vaginal birth but not in women after caesarean delivery. Six to ten weeks later palpation and vesical neck elevation on perineal ultrasound do not show any significant differences to antepartum values, while intravaginal pressure on perineometry remains significantly lower in primiparae, but not in multiparae. Conclusions Pelvic floor muscle strength is impaired shortly after vaginal birth, but for most women returns within two months.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74191/1/j.1471-0528.1997.tb12057.x.pd