Assessment of lower urinary tract symptoms during pregnancy: an observational cross-sectional study from Palestine.

BACKGROUND: Women frequently complain of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) during pregnancy due to multiple physiological and potentially pathological changes. Still, there is limited data on the characteristics of LUTS for pregnant women in Palestine. Therefore, this study was designed to assess LUTS among pregnant women in Palestine, in addition to identifying factors that exacerbate LUTS during pregnancy. METHODS: We devised a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study that used the Urinary Distress Inventory (UDI) and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ) tools to assess LUTS during pregnancy in an antenatal care clinic setting. Multiple linear regressions were conducted to determine variables that significantly related to LUTS (UDI-6 and IIQ-7 scores as dependent variables). RESULTS: The study recruited 306 pregnant women. Regarding LUTS findings, the participants scored a mean of 31.9 ± 24.9 out of 100 points (6.7 ± 5.2 out of 21) for the IIQ-7 scale and a mean of 31.2 ± 19.2 out of 100 points (5.6 ± 3.4 out of 18) for the UDI-6 scale. Regression analysis showed that older women (p = 0.031), women with a higher body mass index (p < 0.001), and women in the third trimester of pregnancy (p = 0.023), were independently associated with high UDI score. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that obese and overweight patients (p = 0.006) and multiparity (p = 0.026) were independently associated with high IIQ score. CONCLUSIONS: High body mass index is independently associated with both UDI and IIQ scores for LUTS. Several strategies should be arranged to raise the awareness of females of childbearing age in Palestine regarding LUTS during pregnancy and factors which may exacerbate LUTS, such as obesity and multiparity. Thus, preventive measures should be implemented, such as serial assessment of LUTS during antenatal care to respond timely to this frequent problem.

The impact of lower urinary tract symptoms on the quality of life during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study from Palestine.

BACKGROUND: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are prevalent among pregnant women. Several articles show the impact of LUTS on pregnant women's quality of life (QoL). This study was designed to examine the impact of non-pathological LUTS on QoL among pregnant Palestinian women. METHODS: A cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted on women who were pregnant and receiving regular antenatal care at the obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Rafidia Hospital, Palestine. This self-administered questionnaire included the Urinary Distress Inventory - short-form (UDI-6), the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire - short-form (IIQ-7), the European Quality of Life scale - 5 dimensions (EQ-5D), and the European Quality of Life - visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). A convenience sampling method was used. In addition to this, multiple linear regression analyses were performed aiming to identify variables that have a significant relationship with QoL (i.e. socio-demographic variables, UDI-6 score, and IIQ-7 score). RESULTS: This study included a total of 306 pregnant women. Participants had a mean age of 26.9 years (SD, 3.6). The subjects scored an average of 31.2 ± 19.2 out of 100 points for the UDI-6 scale and an average of 31.9 ± 24.9 out of 100 points for the IIQ-7 scale. On the other hand, the subjects' average EQ-5D and EQ-VAS scores were 0.76 ± 0.17 and 67.96 ± 19.28 respectively. The subjects' responses on UDI-6 significantly correlated with their responses on both the EQ-5D and EQ-VAS scales (r = - 0.338, p < 0.001 and r = - 0.206, p < 0.001, respectively). Likewise, their responses on IIQ-7 also significantly correlated with their responses on both the EQ-5D and EQ-VAS scales (r = - 0.389, p < 0.001 and r = - 0.329, p < 0.001, respectively). Regression analysis found that the UDI-6 score (p = 0.001) and IIQ-7 score (p < 0.001), were significantly and negatively associated with EQ-5D index scores. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a remarkable correlation between LUTS and QoL among pregnant women. Further longitudinal studies are required to assess the status of LUTS in the pre-pregnancy stage to ascertain a more accurate assessment of LUTS or LUTS related intervention and its impact on QoL during pregnancy.

Immunohistochemical and molecular genetic analysis of p 53 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (scc) in Hospital University Science Malaysia: a preliminary study

The role of p53 mutation in oral cancer cases has not been studied in Malaysia. This study was designed to focus on over expression of p53 nuclear protein and gene mutation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases in Hospital University Science Malaysia (HUSM). Twenty randomly selected cases previously diagnosed as oral SCC lesions in HUSM since 2002 were included in this study. Patient’s folders were reviewed to study clinical history and tumor staging. Extracted DNA amplified using PCR. Gene sequencing had done to detect genetic mutation. Protein overexpression detected using the Streptavidin-biotin Peroxidase technique. P53 gene mutations, analyzed within exons 5- 8, were observed in 10 out of 20 cases (50%) of oral SCC. The positive nuclear staining by immunohistochemical was observed in 18 cases (18/20, 90%). These data indicate the highly incidence of p53 protein overexpression as well as specific mutations in oral SCC patients in Malaysia. However this preliminary study had been based on analysis of relatively few cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma, so further study require to including large number of cases from different states in Malaysia.