Urinary tract symptoms in female patients with stroke and impact on their quality of life

Abstract

Background: Stroke is a major neurological condition that causes long-term disability, particularly among women. Beyond motor and cognitive impairments, many female stroke survivors experience urinary tract symptoms (UTS). These symptoms can severely affect the quality of life in female stroke survivors. Objectives: To know the socio-demographic information, comorbidity and stroke related information. Find out the urinary tract symptoms and know the impact of urinary tract symptoms on quality of life in female patients with stroke. Methodology: The study design was a cross sectional study. Total 105 samples were selected by using hospital based random sampling technique for this study from Neurology unit of Physiotherapy Department, CRP, Savar. All data were collected through face-to face interview by using self structured questionnaire, Kings Health Questionnaire. The study was conducted by using quantitative descriptive analysis through using SPSS software 25.0 version. Results: Among 105 female patients with stroke, followed by urge incontinence and nocturia each reported by 58.1%. Less frequent symptoms included incomplete emptying at 35.2 %, weak stream at 30.5 %, dysuria at 28.6 %, and hesitancy at 25.7 %. Results from the impact of urinary tract symptoms on quality of life indicated moderate impacts across all quality-of-life domains, with general health perception having the highest mean score of 60.05, while personal relationships were the least impacted. Emotional well-being, incontinence impact, and social and physical limitations were also notably influenced, indicating a broad and multidimensional effect of urinary symptoms. Overall, urinary symptoms significantly reduced quality of life. Discussion: Urinary symptoms among female stroke patients, with nocturia, urge incontinence, and stress incontinence being the most common. These symptoms significantly affected various aspects of quality of life, particularly general health perception and emotional well-being. The findings emphasize the importance of early identification, comprehensive assessment, and targeted management of urinary symptoms during stroke rehabilitation. Timely intervention can enhance both physical and psychological recovery, contributing to improved functional outcomes and overall quality of life in this vulnerable population. Key words: Stroke, urinary tract symptoms, quality of life.