RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Exacerbation of Urinary Storage Symptoms by the Psychological Stress Induced by the COVID-19 Pandemic JF In Vivo JO In Vivo FD International Institute of Anticancer Research SP 2800 OP 2805 DO 10.21873/invivo.13017 VO 36 IS 6 A1 TAKESHI MIYAZAKI A1 KOSUKE TOMINAGA A1 YU OKABE A1 NAOTAKA GUNGE A1 WATARU MATSUOKA A1 HIROSHI MATSUZAKI A1 SHINTARO ASO A1 MASAHIRO TACHIBANA A1 CHIZURU NAKAGAWA A1 AIKO FUJIKAWA A1 KAZUNA TSUBOUCHI A1 NOBUYUKI NAKAMURA A1 HIROFUMI MATSUOKA A1 NOBUHIRO HAGA YR 2022 UL http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/36/6/2800.abstract AB Background/Aim: This study aimed to determine whether psychological stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic might exacerbate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and decrease lower urinary tract function in outpatients with LUTS. Patients and Methods: We evaluated 104 patients who visited our hospital during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological stress was evaluated by the Stress Response Scale-18 (SRS-18). Subjects were divided into aggravation and non-aggravation of psychological stress groups according to the SRS-18. LUTS was evaluated according to the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Lower urinary tract function was evaluated as the post-void residual urine volume (PVR). Comparisons of scores and changes in scores of each parameter before versus during/after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were performed between the two groups. Results: Forty-two patients were included in each group. We observed no significant differences in the comparison of scores at each time point and in changes in total IPSS score, voiding symptom subscores and PVR between the two groups. Although no significant differences in storage symptom subscores were observed between the two groups, changes in storage symptom subscores increased significantly during the first wave of the pandemic in the aggravation of psychological stress group (p=0.02). However, no significant increase was observed after the first wave. Conclusion: Psychological stress during the COVID-19 pandemic might transiently aggravate storage symptoms in patients with LUTS. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of transient worsening of LUTS during future pandemics, and transiently additional medication might be effective in such patients.