Nocturia in relation to sleep, somatic diseases and medical treatment in the elderly

Objective To assess the influence of somatic diseases, symptoms and medication on nocturnal micturition in an elderly population. Subjects and methods All 10 216 members of the pensioners' association in two Swedish counties were asked to participate in a questionnaire survey. The questions concerned their general state of health, occurrence of somatic diseases and symptoms, number of voiding episodes per night, and the use of drugs. Results There were 6143 evaluable questionnaires, of which 39.5% were from men. The mean (sd) age of the men and women participating were 73.0 (6.0) and 72.6 (6.7) years, respectively. In a multivariate logistic model, significant independent correlates of having greater than or equal to 3 nocturnal voids (vs less than or equal to 2 voids) were: being 70-79 years vs < 70 years (odds ratio, OR, 1.7, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.3-2.2), being greater than or equal to 80 years old vs < 70 years (OR, 1.9, CI, 1.3-2.5) and poor sleep vs good sleep (OR, 2.6, CI, 2.1-3.2), sequelae after stroke (OR, 2.0, CI, 1.1-3.6), irregular heart beats (OR, 1.6, CI, 1.2-2.1) and diabetes (OR, 1.5, CI, 1.1-2.3). Sex, spasmodic chest pain and snoring were all deleted by the logistic model. Conclusion Increasing age, poor sleep, irregular heart beats, diabetes and stroke are associated with an increase in nocturnal micturition in the elderly.