Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men may have an adverse effect on spouse health-related quality of life (HRQL), and these effects are probably influenced by cultural and perceptional differences. This study was conducted to explore the impact of LUTS in Korean men on their spousal HRQL in relation to symptom severities and other demographic parameters. A total of 130 spouses, whose husbands had a nocturia, frequency of greater than once per night, who shared a bed with their husbands, and accompanied husbands at consultation, were subsequently enrolled and asked to complete a structured questionnaire. Almost all spouses (98%) suffered one or more inconveniences that affected HRQL to some degree. Sleep disturbance was rated to be most inconvenient. The sleep disturbances were significantly correlated with nocturia frequency and husband co-morbidity. Husband's LUTS caused partners to feel fatigued (62%), embarrassed (79%), concerned about the possibilities of cancer (69%) and surgery (81%), sexual life deteriorated (58%), and dissatisfied, unhappy, or terrible (36%). Spouse's perception on HRQL was found to be well correlated with husband's quality of life. Men with LUTS need to understand that their LUTS is also mental and physical sufferings for their spouses.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nocturia/psychology ; Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sleep Disorders/etiology ; Spouses/*psychology ; Urination Disorders/diagnosis/etiology/*psychology

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a medical condition characterized by urgency, with or without urge urinary incontinence, frequency, and nocturia in the absence of genitourinary pathologies or metabolic factors that can explain these symptoms. The current management of OAB is complex, and a wide range of options for conservative treatment have been offered, including bladder training, biofeedback, behavioral changes, oral or intravesical anticholinergic agents, S3 sacral neuromodulation, and peripheral electrical stimulation. The clinical efficacies of these treatments remains an open issue, and several experimental and clinical studies have been carried out during the last years. However, a minor group of OAB patients prove to be refractory to these conservative managements and need further evaluation involving sophisticated urodynamic testing and cystoscopy to carefully define the nature of the lower urinary tract dysfunction and to rule out other causes underlying the symptoms. Thus, the management of refractory OAB, which accounts for 10% of the whole spectrum of OAB, is extremely difficult. The aforementioned therapeutic tools have not always been completely satisfactory in these refractory OAB. Here, the author reviews the mechanism of micturition reflex and the current therapies, particularly highlighting the potential benefit of neuromodulation for refractory OAB.
Biofeedback, Psychology ; Cholinergic Antagonists ; Cystoscopy ; Electric Stimulation ; Humans ; Nocturia ; Reflex ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive ; Urinary Incontinence ; Urination ; Urodynamics

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of external sphincter relaxant and biofeedback with electrical stimulation therapy (EST) in patients who did not respond well to antibiotics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred-five patients with a diagnosis of female urethral syndrome were entered in this study. Antibiotics were given as first-line therapy for about 3 months. In cases of recurrent or persistent urethral syndrome, antibiotic therapy combined with external sphincter relaxant or biofeedback with EST were performed. According to video-urodynamic analysis, 31 patients (29.5%) were external sphincter relaxant group who showed functional urethral obstruction and 41 patients (39.5%) were biofeedback with EST group who had severe pain or discomfort with irritative voiding symptoms. Subjective symptom was measured before and after therapy using the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms questionnaire. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients (31.4%) of all patients (n=105) were terminated with antibiotic therapy alone and 7 (21.2%) patients were recurred. The symptom score changed 10.51 to 2.85. In antibiotics with external sphincter relaxant, the symptom score changed 12.39 to 3.96. In five (16.1%) of them symptoms were recurred and 3 of 5 patients underwent urethral dilatation. In antibiotics with biofeedback, average frequency changed from 12.2 to 7.7 times a day and nocturia changed 2.4 to 0.6 time a night. The symptom score improved from 15.22 to 4.69 and the overall satisfaction rate was 87.8% (41.5%: very satisfied, 46.3%: satisfied, 12.2%: no response). CONCLUSIONS: Biofeedback and external sphincter relaxant therapy as an alternative therapeutic option are effective and appropriate for the treatment of female urethral syndrome especially in patients who did not respond well to antibiotics. For the better outcomes, selection of the most appropriate therapeutic modality with the diagnostic work up is warranted.
Anti-Bacterial Agents* ; Biofeedback, Psychology ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; Female* ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Nocturia ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Urethral Obstruction