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. 2007 Aug;52(2):397-406.
doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2007.03.024. Epub 2007 Mar 16.

Is abuse causally related to urologic symptoms? Results from the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey

Carol L Link  1 , Karen E Lutfey, William D Steers, John B McKinlay
Affiliations

Is abuse causally related to urologic symptoms? Results from the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey

Carol L Link et al. Eur Urol. 2007 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: We investigated (1) whether sexual, physical, or emotional abuse experienced either as a child or as an adolescent/adult is associated with symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency, and nocturia, and (2) the extent to which the observed association between abuse and urologic symptoms may be causal.

Methods: Analyses are based on data from the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) survey, a community-based epidemiologic study of many different urologic symptoms and risk factors. BACH used a multistage stratified cluster sample to recruit 5506 adults, aged 30-79 yr (2301 men, 3205 women; 1770 black [African American], 1877 Hispanic, and 1859 white respondents).

Results: The symptoms considered are common, with 33% of BACH respondents reporting urinary frequency, 12% reporting urgency, and 28% reporting nocturia. All three symptoms are positively associated with childhood and adolescent/adult sexual, physical, and emotional abuse (p<0.05), with abuse significantly increasing the odds of urinary frequency by a factor ranging from 1.6 to 1.9, the odds of urgency by a factor from 2.0 to 2.3, and the odds of nocturia by a factor from 1.3 to 1.5.

Conclusions: Our analyses extend previous work. First, we show a strong association between abuse and urinary frequency, urgency, and nocturia in a community-based random sample. Second, we move beyond discussion of statistical association and find considerable evidence to suggest that the relationship between abuse and these symptoms may be causal.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CI) for the association of frequency, urgency, and nocturia with different kinds of abuse, overall, by gender, and by race/ethnicity
Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of frequency, urgency, and nocturia for each type of abuse. Line at 1 = no effect; O = overall; M = men; F = women; B = black (African American); H = Hispanic; W = white.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Prevalence (percent) of frequency, urgency, and nocturia by frequency and type of abuse
Prevalence (percent) of frequency, urgency, and nocturia with increasing frequency of abuse. HKB = hit, kick, or beat; TL = seriously threaten life; E = emotionally abused; N = never, S = seldom; Oc = occasionally; Of = often.
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