To examine the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in males of the general population.
In our analysis, we included 8627 men, 48-79 years of age, who participated in the 4th follow-up (FUP) of EPIC-Heidelberg (2007-2009) and replied to questions on LUTS. According to the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire, men were categorized as having mild (0-7 points), moderate (8-19 points), or severe LUTS (20-35 points). In addition, we examined progression of LUTS among 7821 men, who also participated in FUP 5 (2010-2012).
75.3% of men reported mild, 22.0% moderate and 2.7% severe LUTS. The prevalence increased with age. At FUP 4, 5.8% (mild symptoms) to 39.7% (severe LUTS) of participants reported use of any type of BPH/LUTS medication. Nocturia, i.e., getting up at night at least twice, was the most common symptom, followed by incomplete emptying of the bladder and urgency. 54.8% of men reported worse LUTS in FUP5, but 27.1% reported an improvement in symptoms.
About a quarter of middle-age and elderly men reported clinically relevant LUTS. While symptoms in some men actually improve, more than half of men experience worsening of symptoms over a 3-year period in time.
Urology. 2016 Jun 23 [Epub ahead of print]
Sabine Rohrmann, Verena Katzke, Rudolf Kaaks
Division of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: ., Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany., Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.