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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who suffer from
"dysfunctional voiding" -- like having to urinate often and
having difficulty voiding -- experience a greater degree of
depression and anxiety compared to women without these
symptoms, research suggests.
"Dysfunctional voiding ... is more commonly seen in recent
years," Dr. Alex T. L. Lin, of Taipei Veterans General
Hospital, Taiwan, told Reuters Health. "Although we suspect
that depression and anxiety are reactions to the dysfunctional
voiding, we could not preclude the possibility that
psychological abnormalities might predispose one to the
occurrence of lower urinary tract dysfunction," he commented.
Lin noted that the stressful environment of modern society
might be a contributing factor for the increased incidence of
dysfunctional voiding.
"From our observations, avoiding stressful situations and
stress-reduction are important to prevent dysfunctional
voiding," Lin advised.
Lin and colleagues assessed anxiety and depression symptoms
among 32 women with dysfunctional voiding and 31 asymptomatic
control women with no lower urinary tract symptoms. The average
age of the women studied was 48 years.
The women with dysfunctional voiding scored markedly higher
on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and the
Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A).
The patients had an average HRSD score of 16.9, compared
with 4.3 in controls. The mean HAM-A score for patients was
21.2 and 4.8 for controls.
A significantly greater degree of depression and anxiety
was observed among patients with dysfunctional voiding compared
to controls.
"For patients with dysfunctional voiding, psychological
intervention to reduce anxiety and depression should be an
indispensable part of the treatment plan," Lin said.
The researchers' next step is to assess the treatment
benefit of psychological interventions on dysfunctional
voiding.
SOURCE: Urology April, 2008.
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