To determine if lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in young adults are associated with exposure to bullying.

A cross-sectional study was done in medical residents of one health institution. The presence of LUTS was documented using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and then classified based on total score (<9 absence of LUTS and ≥9 LUTS present). The "Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised" (NAQ-R) and a single specific question were used to assess the presence of real exposure and perceived bullying respectively. Real exposure to bullying was defined as total NAQ-R score ≥41 while perceived bullying as any positive answer. Bivariate analysis was done using Chi 2 and calculating 95% confidence intervals. SPSS v.24, Chicago, II was used.

A total of 209 residents were included for analysis; 62% men; 12% IPSS ≥ 9 of these 63% where mainly storage symptoms; 42% had real exposure and 39% perceived bullying. Female gender (OR 2.8, 95%CI: 1.1-6.6, p = 0.01) real exposure (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.1-6.7, p = 0.01) and perceived bulling (OR: 3.1 95% CI: 1.3-7.5, p 0.00) were associated with an IPSS score ≥ 9. Specific voiding (intermittence, weak stream, straining and incomplete emptying) and storage (urgency) symptoms were associated with exposure with both types of bullying (Table 1).

Urinary tract infections and daily fluid intake are associated with LUTS; these two parameters are the main confounding factors and were measured. Another limitation is the one-time measurement of bullying exposure, which is an inherent property of the study design; in this fashion, it is necessary to perform prospective studies.

A directed interrogation to determine the presence of bullying may be beneficial in young adults presenting with LUTS, IPSS score ≥9 and non-baseline neuro-urological pathology. The results found in this study make this area a feasible line for further investigation.