Nocturia among women aged 60 or older in Taiwan

Background: From a public health point of view, it is important to evaluate the prevalence of nocturia and to identify the associated factors for nocturia among the elderly that might impair the quality of life of sufferers. However, those among the Taiwanese female population aged 60 or older are still unclear. Aims: To estimate the prevalence of nocturia in Taiwanese women aged 60 or older and to assess its associated factors. Methods: Nocturia, defined by the International Continence Society, and its associated problems were evaluated, and medical history and sociodemographic variables were recorded. A sample of 2410 female was selected by a multistage random sampling method. Results: Six hundred and twenty-one women who were selected had been deceased. Face-to-face interviews with 1523 women were completed, producing a response rate of 85.1% (1523 of 1789) and 73.5% (1120 of 1523) of the interviewees reported having had nocturia. Age, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prior drug allergy and urinary incontinence significantly increased the risk of nocturia. Conclusions: Although the pathophysiologies of nocturia are still not all known, it is a common condition among Taiwanese women. Multiple approaches are necessary to treat the patients with nocturia. Treatment of nocturia in this patient population can both improve their quality of life and reduce the risk of deterioration in their general state of health.