TUESDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Most older men report lower urinary tract symptoms, and more than half of those with severe symptoms feel "terrible" about them, according to a report published in the October issue of Urology.
Brent C. Taylor, Ph.D., of the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Minnesota, and colleagues analyzed questionnaire data on lower urinary tract symptoms in 5,284 men aged 65 or older without prostate cancer.
The researchers found that 6.6 percent of men reported severe symptoms, while symptoms were moderate in 39.6 percent, mild in 51.6 percent, and 2.3 percent reported no symptoms. More than half (58.1 percent) of those with severe symptoms and almost one-fifth (19.8 percent) of those with moderate symptoms felt "unsatisfied to terrible" about them.
Men with severe symptoms were 1.51 times more likely to consider their health as fair to very poor for their age, rather than good to excellent. Increased symptoms hindered daily activity.
"Moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms are common in community-dwelling elderly U.S. men," the authors write. "In this study, lower urinary tract symptom severity was associated with poorer health quality and a greater prevalence of an inability to perform activities of daily living."
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
