Objective: To explore the contents and presentation of symptoms experienced by female patients with lower urinary tract infections.
Design: Qualitative study based on written answers to open-ended questions on symptom experiences, analysis with Giorgi's phenomenological approach, explanatory model as frame of reference.
Setting: Twelve general practices in the Bergen area of Norway.
Subjects: Ninety-four women aged 19-97 years who consulted because they suspected to have an acute cystitis and who had leucocyturia and growth of 10(5) or more uropathogens/ml in the urine.
Main outcome measures: Descriptions and nuances considered mainstream for cystitis or as a supplement to the traditional medical symptom descriptions.
Results: We found a great diversity of symptoms. Typical symptom descriptions were a terrible scorch when the bladder is nearly empty, frequent need to void followed by only a few drops, sometimes so suddenly that it may go wrong, or a constant ache in the low back and belly. Subjects also described constant aching or pressure in the genital area, or they felt miserable and no good in the whole body. Specific symptoms were also localized elsewhere in the body.
Conclusion: Diverse symptom descriptions complementing previous knowledge were revealed, as well as symptoms not usually mentioned in textbooks or reviews.