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Systematic review exploring the relationship between sexual abuse and lower urinary tract symptoms

Selai, Caroline; Elmalem, Michael S; Chartier-Kastler, Emmanuel; Sassoon, Natalia; Hewitt, Sam; Rocha, Maria Francisca; Klitsinari, Larisa; (2022) Systematic review exploring the relationship between sexual abuse and lower urinary tract symptoms. International Urogynecology Journal 10.1007/s00192-022-05277-4. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: Patients presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) may report a history of sexual abuse (SA), and survivors of SA may report LUTS; however, the nature of the relationship is poorly understood. The aim of this review is to systematically evaluate studies that explore LUT dysfunction in survivors of SA. METHODS: A systematic literature search of six databases, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, and PsycINFO, was performed. The last search date was June 2021 (PROSPERO CRD42019122080). Studies reporting the prevalence and symptoms of LUTS in patients who have experienced SA were included. The literature was appraised according to the PRISMA statement. The quality of the studies was assessed. RESULTS: Out of 272 papers retrieved, 18 publications met the inclusion criteria: studies exploring LUTS in SA survivors (n=2), SA in patients attending clinics for their LUTs (n=8), and cross-sectional studies (n=8). SA prevalence ranged between 1.3% and 49.6%. A history of SA was associated with psychosocial stressors, depression, and anxiety. LUTS included urinary storage symptoms, voiding difficulties, voluntary holding of urine and urinary tract infections. Most studies were of moderate quality. Assessment of SA and LUTS lacked standardisation. CONCLUSIONS: The review highlights the need for a holistic assessment of patients presenting with LUTS. Although most of the studies were rated as being of 'moderate' quality, the evidence suggests the need to provide a "safe space" in clinic for patients to share sensitive information about trauma. Any such disclosure should be followed up with further assessment.

Type: Article
Title: Systematic review exploring the relationship between sexual abuse and lower urinary tract symptoms
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1007/s00192-022-05277-4
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-022-05277-4
Language: English
Additional information: Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Keywords: Childhood sexual abuse, Childhood trauma, Lower urinary tract symptoms, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Trauma
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Clinical and Movement Neurosciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10151027
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