Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (5)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Shvartzman, P.
Right arrow Articles by Tabenkin, H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Shvartzman, P.
Right arrow Articles by Tabenkin, H.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Family Practice Vol. 18, No. 6, 610-613
© Oxford University Press 2001

Original Paper

Second-hand prostatism: effects of prostatic symptoms on spouses' quality of life, daily routines and family relationships

Pesach Shvartzman, Jeffery M Borkan, Leonid Stoliar, Aya Pelega, Sasson Nakarb, Guy Nirc and Hava Tabenkinc

Department of Family Medicine, Division of Community Health and
a Unit of Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, University Center for Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva,
b Department of Family Medicine Sackler Medical School, Tel-Aviv and
c Department of Family Medicine, Central Emek Hospital, Afula, Israel.

Professor Pesach Shvartzman, Chairman, Division of Community Health, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, POB 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of male prostatic symptoms on their partners' quality of life, daily routines and family relationships.

Methods. A structured telephone interview study was carried out on a random sample of 215 of the wives and partners of men aged 50 years or older drawn from those registered at four family medicine centres in Israel. They were asked about sleep disturbances, number of night-time wakings, and the effect on sexual relations, travel, entertainment, family and social relationships.

Results. The vast majority of women (86%) were affected by their partners' prostatism, with multiple consequences for their daily routines, quality of life and relationships. Sleep was the area of greatest concern, with 46% of women regularly waking due to their partners' urination disorder. The women reported other limitations: 37% noted problems with sexual functioning; 17% were unable to take long trips with partners; 10% could not visit places without toilets; while 8% were unable to go to the cinema or theatre. Women felt that their partners' prostatic symptoms were also to be blamed for upsetting family relationships (10%) and relationships with friends (16%). There was near total correspondence between women and their male partners regarding the effects of prostatic symptoms.

Conclusions. Prostatism has an impact on men and women; strategies that consider the whole couple should be developed and utilized when considering treatment options.

Keywords. Benign prostatic hypertropy, family function, prostatism, quality of life, spouse.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.