Urinary retention and the lunisolar cycle: Is it a lunatic phenomenon?

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether a relation between urinary retention and temporal rhythms exists. Design: Retrospective analysis of patients presenting over three years. Setting: Urology departments in two hospitals. Patients: 815 Patients presenting as emergency admissions with urinary retention and requiring immediate decompression of the bladder. Main outcome measures: Calendar date of each admission to determine circadian, monthly, and seasonal periodicity. Results: No association was found between urinary retention and circadian, monthly, or seasonal rhythms. A significantly higher (p < 0.001) incidence of urinary retention was observed during the new moon in comparison with other phases of the lunar cycle. Conclusions: Urinary retention is periodic in nature. This should be considered when the workload of a specialist urological department is organised.