Lower urinary tract symptoms and related factors in female university students.

OBJECTIVES: Our study aims to determine the symptoms and frequency of lower urinary tract in female university students and its related factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and June 2017. To determine their sociodemographic characteristics and toilet habits, the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms questionnaire, a 21-item questionnaire, was applied to female university students accepting to participate in the study using the face-to-face interview method. RESULTS: The study was completed with 1091 individuals. The mean age of the participants was 20.27±1.69 years. The question "Do you feel a sudden urination sensation and run to the toilet?" was answered by 1.1% (n: 12) of the participants with "Always," while 34.8% (n: 380) replied "Never." In terms of feeling a sudden urination sensation, 0.5% (n: 6) of the participants stated that they "always" experience micturition, while 15.0% (n: 164) answered with "Seldom." The complaint of being unable to empty their bladder completely while urinating was higher in students with constipation problems (P .04) and a body mass index (BMI) > 24.9 (P .02). CONCLUSIONS: Lower urinary tract complaints are a common problem. We believe that routine medical screening should be performed for female university students whose living conditions change when they start university; besides, we suggest that well-attended and repeatable training programs for healthy living behaviors, urinary habits, and hygiene should be organized for university students.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 and its relation to metabolic parameters in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the serum levels of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) between patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and control subjects and to assess the possible relation with the hormonal and metabolic parameters. METHODS: A total of 91 patients with PCOS and 53 age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls were included in the study. We evaluated anthropometric, hormonal and metabolic parameters in all the cases. Serum FGF-21 and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: Mean fasting glucose and insulin, homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels were significantly higher in PCOS patients. Serum FGF-21 levels were similar in PCOS (236.8 ± 171.2 pg/ml) and the control (224.6 ± 128.9 pg/ml) group (p = 0.654). FGF-21 level had no correlation with BMI, waist circumference, HOMA-IR, hsCRP and lipid parameters. However there was a significant negative correlation between FGF-21 and DHEAS levels (r = - 0.309, p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: FGF-21 levels were similar in women with PCOS compared with those of age- and BMI- matched controls.