Physical and psychological characteristics and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients with and without urinary incontinence.

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the physical and psychological characteristics and quality of life (QoL) between multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with and without urinary incontinence (UI), and to investigate the associations between bladder symptom burden and these parameters. Fifty MS patients were divided into two groups based on self-reported UI: the UI + MS (<i>n</i> = 28) and non-UI + MS (<i>n</i> = 22). Outcomes included bladder symptom burden, functional mobility, walking ability, fear of falling, fatigue impact and severity, physical activity level, anxiety, depression, and QoL. Compared with the non-UI + MS group, the UI + MS group demonstrated lower functional mobility (<i>p</i> = 0.008), higher fear of falling (<i>p</i> = 0.024), greater fatigue impact (<i>p</i> = 0.041), and lower physical activity level (<i>p</i> = 0.028). Based on bivariate analyses in MS patients with UI, higher bladder symptom burden was correlated with poorer walking ability (<i>r</i> = 0.400, <i>p</i> = 0.035), more falls in the past year (<i>r</i> = 0.443, <i>p</i> = 0.018), and lower physical health-related QoL (<i>r</i> = -0.644, <i>p</i> < 0.01). Regression analysis in MS patients with UI identified higher BMI (β = 0.768, <i>p</i> = 0.030) and lower physical health-related QoL (β = -0.131, <i>p</i> = 0.005) were significantly associated with bladder symptom burden. MS patients with UI demonstrated greater impairment in physical functioning than those without UI. Early screening for UI may help mitigate these negative outcomes.