Impact of smoking habit on overactive bladder symptoms and incontinence in women

OBJECTIVE: To examine the correlation between smoking habit and lower urinary tract symptoms in women. METHODS: We first screened 10 000 female patients to examine their smoking habit. A total of 7004 samples were successfully collected for further analysis through a urinary continence survey. The ratio of current smoking to non‐smoking participants was set as 1:3 to allow thorough assessment of the impact of cigarette smoking on lower urinary tract symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 4756 complete responses were obtained for the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire‐Short Form questionnaire. The current smokers (2.54 ± 2.91, 2.48 ± 4.01) and ex‐smokers (2.27 ± 2.50, 2.25 ± 3.50) showed significantly higher Overactive Bladder Symptom Score and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire‐Short Form scores than the non‐smokers (1.70 ± 2.05, 1.49 ± 2.73) (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, respectively). The prevalence of urgency was affected by the smoking status. Younger participants (aged 20–39 years) showed a stronger influence of their smoking habit than older participants (aged ≥40 years). Urgency urinary incontinence was also affected by the smoking status. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of urgency and urgency urinary incontinence is correlated with age and smoking habit, and both current and ex‐smokers show an increased prevalence of urgency and urgency urinary incontinence compared with non‐smokers, especially younger women.