Uro Flash
Uro Flash 2020 › Uro Flash Vol-6, No-2, 2020

Nocturia: Considerations in a Disorder with Multifaceted Consequences

Nocturia, defined as waking at night to empty the bladder irrespective of the number of times,1 is a highly prevalent and bothersome medical condition. Specifically, as per the International Continence Society (ICS) 2018 definition, it is characterized by the need to wake up to pass urine during the main sleep period, with each urination followed by sleep or the intention to sleep.2 The disorder constitutes one of the most bothersome lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS), with a majority of the affected people reporting moderate bother associated with two nocturnal voiding episodes or major bother with three or more episodes. Nevertheless, the degree of bother from a similar number of nocturia episodes may vary from person to person.2 Furthermore, the multifaceted nature and impact of nocturia renders the possibility that the disorder gets reported and identified across diverse clinical settings not limited to urology, but including gynecology, geriatrics, neurology, sleep medicine, endocrinology, and general practice.3 Although each of these specialties may have some differing perspectives for their patients, it is important that physicians identify nocturia as the same condition and manage it appropriately in individual cases.