Treatment patterns for lower urinary tract symptoms and overactive bladder in an Eastern European country: a nationwide population-representative survey.

The aim of this study was to establish at the population level the treatment patterns for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and overactive bladder (OAB) in Poland.

We used data from LUTS POLAND, a survey representative of the entire Polish population classified by age, sex, and place of residence. The treatment patterns we considered were lifestyle changes, physiotherapy, non-prescription drugs, prescription drugs, and surgical treatment.

We obtained 6,005 completed interviews. About one-third of respondents who reported LUTS or OAB were seeking treatment, and many of these persons received treatment. Men were more proactive in seeking treatment than women, and men more often received treatment. Management with prescription drugs was the most common treatment modality of LUTS and OAB respondents. There were some disparities in distribution of other treatment options between LUTS and OAB persons, but, disappointingly, non-invasive and low-cost management strategies were rarely reported as being used. Specialists (mainly urologists) provided most of the treatments. We did not identify differences between urban and rural areas in treatment seeking, treatment receiving, and the treatment methods that were used.

In Poland, the scale was low for seeking treatment for LUTS and OAB. As well, there was little reliance on non-invasive and low-cost management strategies for LUTS and OAB. Our findings underline the need for education of patients and physicians about LUTS and OAB, and for greater healthcare and financial resources for LUTS and OAB patients.

Central European journal of urology. 2021 Jun 17 [Epub]

Mikołaj Przydacz, Marcin Chłosta, Łukasz Belch, Anna K Czech, Tomasz Wiatr, Katarzyna Gronostaj, Marek Lipinski, Piotr Chłosta

Department of Urology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Cracow, Poland., 2 Department of Urology, Medical University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland.