Impact of smoking habit on overactive bladder symptoms and incontinence in women

Abstract

Objective: To examine the correlation between smoking habit and lower urinary tract symptoms in women. Methods: We first screened 10 000 female patients to examine their smoking habit. A total of 7004 samples were successfully collected for further analysis through a urinary continence survey. The ratio of current smoking to non-smoking participants was set as 1:3 to allow thorough assessment of the impact of cigarette smoking on lower urinary tract symptoms. Results: A total of 4756 complete responses were obtained for the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form questionnaire. The current smokers (2.54 ± 2.91, 2.48 ± 4.01) and ex-smokers (2.27 ± 2.50, 2.25 ± 3.50) showed significantly higher Overactive Bladder Symptom Score and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form scores than the non-smokers (1.70 ± 2.05, 1.49 ± 2.73) (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, respectively). The prevalence of urgency was affected by the smoking status. Younger participants (aged 20–39 years) showed a stronger influence of their smoking habit than older participants (aged ≥40 years). Urgency urinary incontinence was also affected by the smoking status. Conclusions: The prevalence of urgency and urgency urinary incontinence is correlated with age and smoking habit, and both current and ex-smokers show an increased prevalence of urgency and urgency urinary incontinence compared with non-smokers, especially younger women.