NORMAL VOIDING BEHAVIOR IN WOMEN - STUDY OF THE I-PSS IN AN UNSELECTED POPULATION OF WOMEN IN GENERAL-PRACTICE

Objective: To define the normality of voiding behavior in women. Metho d: We evaluated 161 women of all ages, consulting in general practice for problems other than voiding disorders. Women were tested with the International Prostatic Symptom Score (I-PSS), originally defined to e valuate patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, in view of the non prostatic specificity of each of its component questions, and its easy use. Results: The normal replies to each question are less than 1 for questions concerning obstructive symptoms, i.e. each of the obstructi ve symptoms investigated was never or only rarely (less than 1 in 5 vo idings) present, while the normal replies to the questions concerning irritative symptoms were between 1 and 2, i.e. these symptoms, frequen cy and urgency, are commonly observed by the great majority of women, provided they occur less than once every two voidings. Nocturia is a n ormal finding provided it occurs less than or equal to 2 per night. Qu ality of life was strongly correlated with obstructive and irritative symptoms, and the most troublesome voiding disorder was urgency. Those characteristics remain remarkably stable with age. Conclusions: Moder ate irritative symptoms are a normal component of the voiding behavior in women.