FRIDAY, June 11, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- There may be an association between lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction in older men, says a Mayo Clinic study.
"This observation suggests there may be a common cause that someday may prove amenable to medical treatments that could be effective for treating both conditions," senior author Dr. Steven Jacobsen said in a prepared statement.
He and his colleagues studied 2,115 men, aged 40 to 79, and found that lower urinary tract symptoms most strongly associated with sexual dysfunction included a feeling of urgency to urinate, having to get up many times each night, a weak urine stream, and straining to start urinating.
These urinary tract symptoms were associated with difficulty getting or maintaining erections and feelings of problems with sexual function and satisfaction.
The study appears in the June issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
As men age and their prostates enlarge -- restricting urine flow or altering bladder habits -- lower urinary tract symptoms become common. It's estimated that worldwide about 100 million men aged 65 and older experience erectile dysfunction.
More information
The U.S. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse has more about the urinary system.
