Prevalence and characteristics of lower urinary tract symptoms in men aged ≥80 years

OBJECTIVES We analyzed the prevalence and characteristics of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in community-dwelling men aged 80 years and older. METHODS We administered the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUA-SI) by mail to 291 Surviving community-dwelling male participants in the Rancho Bernardo Study, a prospective, community-based Study of aging. We compared the prevalence, severity, and types of LUTS occuring in men who were >= 80 years to those < 80 years. RESULTS The mean age was 74.6 years (standard deviation [SD] 8.9, range 48.3-97.1). One third of the respondents were >= 80 years. The mean total AUA-SI score increased steadily by decade of life (P-trend = .002). The prevalence of LUTS was 70% in men >= 80 years and 56% in men < 80 years (P = .03). Men >= 80 years had significantly higher mean total AUA-SI (P = .05) and were more likely to complain of incomplete emptying (odds ratio [OR] 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-4-18, P = .02), frequency (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.00-3.31, P = .03), urgency (OR 1.76, 95% CI 0.96-3.20, P = .05), and weak stream (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.01-3.12, P = .03). CONCLUSIONS In this cohort of community-dwelling men, prevalence and severity of LUTS increased into the 10th decade of life. Compared to younger men, men 80 years were more likely to complain of incomplete emptying, frequency, urgency, and weak stream. Further studies of LUTS in older men are needed to better delineate these associations.