Impact of nocturia on symptom-specific quality of life among community-dwelling adults aged 40 years and older

ObjectivesTo evaluate factors predicting the effect of nocturia in a community-based cohort of adults using a nocturia-specific quality-of-life (N-QOL) questionnaire.MethodsFrom October 2004 to February 2005, adults aged 40 years old or older living in Matsu, Taiwan and reporting nocturia of one episode or more per night were interviewed with a 12-item N-QOL questionnaire consisting of Sleep/Energy and Bother/Concern subscales. Univariate analyses were used to analyze the effects of demographic characteristics, frequency and duration of nocturia, and sleeping characteristics on the N-QOL score. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify factors predicting the N-QOL score.ResultsA total of 663 adults completed this study (mean age 59.4 years). The average N-QOL scores (a lower score indicates worse QOL) were 91.4 ± 11.2, 83.7 ± 13.2, 77.6 ± 16.8, and 67.6 ± 21.2 for nocturia episodes of 1, 2, 3, and 4 or more per night, respectively (P <0.001). Men reported significantly lower N-QOL (85.6 ± 15.1 versus 88.9 ± 13.1, P = 0.003) and Bother/Concern subscale scores (42.0 ± 8.4 versus 44.0 ± 7.4, P <0.001), but not Energy/Sleep subscale scores (43.6 ± 7.8 versus 44.4 ± 7.3, P = 0.158) than women. On multiple linear regression analysis, increasing nocturia episodes (regression coefficient −6.2, 95% confidence interval −7.4 to −5.0), male sex (regression coefficient −3.5, 95% confidence interval −5.4 to −1.5), and degree of sleeping disturbance after nocturia (regression coefficient −4.5, 95% confidence interval −5.6 to −3.4) independently predicted a significantly lower N-QOL score.ConclusionsThe results of our study have confirmed that nocturia has a more significant QOL impact when the patient has two or more episodes per night. Moreover, men experienced a greater impact from nocturia than women, particularly in the Bother/Concern domain.