PREVALENCE OF LOWER URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are observed in individuals with pathologies affecting the lower urinary system, such as detrusor overactivity, sphincter weakness, or sensory bladder disorder. LUTS can be categorized into storage, voiding, and post-micturition symptoms. Storage problems include increased frequency of urination, nocturia, urinary urgency, and incontinence. Voiding symptoms include decreased urine flow rate, hesitancy, and terminal dribbling, while post-micturition symptoms include post-micturition dribble and a sensation of incomplete bladder emptying. The prevalence of LUTS increases with age and is influenced by factors such as metabolic syndrome, gender, caffeine consumption habits, chronic psychological stress, bladder dysfunction, smoking, alcohol use, and constipation.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of LUTS and contributing factors among medical students, a young population undergoing a stressful educational process.

A 43-question survey was prepared for all medical students from years 1 to 6. The survey included the Constipation Scoring System (CSS) to evaluate constipation, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) score to assess anxiety levels, and the Core Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Score (CLSS) to query LUTS. The survey also collected data on participants' dietary habits, smoking, alcohol and caffeine consumption, living conditions, age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and educational level. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of Gaziantep University (approval number 2024/234).