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By Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott
Newswise – For men in their fifties and older, moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) such as incontinence and frequent nighttime urination (nocturia) are associated with an increased risk of death during long-term follow-up, suggests a Finnish study in The Journal of Urology®, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Some associations with mortality are noted even when urinary symptoms are not very bothersome for the patient – and might not be considered to require treatment, according to the new research by Jonne Åkerla, MD, of Tampere University, Finland, and colleagues. “This indicates the importance of assessing the general health, risk factors, and major comorbidities among men with LUTS,” the researchers write.
New insights into male urinary symptoms as mortality risk factors
Using data from a long-term follow-up study of men’s health, Dr. Åkerla and colleagues analyzed lower urinary tract symptoms in more than 3,000 Finnish men who were 50, 60, or 70 years old when enrolled in the study in 1994. The new analysis included data on 1,167 men who were followed up through the end of 2018. About half of the men died during this 24-year follow-up period.
Lower urinary tract symptoms were analyzed as a risk factor for death during follow-up, with adjustment for age and other accompanying medical conditions (comorbidity). The analysis accounted for the possible interaction between symptoms and bothersomeness. For urologists, symptom “bother” is an important consideration: men who say their urinary symptoms don’t bother them very much are considered to be successfully coping with their symptoms, and thus do not require treatment.
Data analysis showed several significant associations between male urinary tract symptoms and long-term mortality risk. Findings included a 20% increased risk of death among men with moderate to severe bladder emptying or “voiding” symptoms (such as hesitancy, weak stream, or straining). There was also a 40% increase in men with “storage” symptoms (such as frequent daytime urination, nocturia, or various types of incontinence).
Analysis including mild urinary symptoms found no increase in mortality risk. “For clinicians, the analyses show that moderate and severe male LUTS in general are good indicators of poor health whereas mild LUTS can be considered as a normal part of healthy ageing,” according to the authors.
However, there were some notable exceptions: mortality risk was increased by 30% among men with daytime frequency and 50% for those with nocturia, regardless of symptom severity. Dr. Åkerla and colleagues write, “This suggests considering daytime voiding interval of three or less hours and any nighttime voiding as patient-important, especially when appearing as persistent symptoms.”
In addition, the risk of death was more than doubled among men with frequent urinary incontinence. This “particularly strong” association suggested that urinary urgency has a significant impact on health and functional status in aging men – possibly reflecting the effects of long-term neurological and vascular disease.
The link between male urinary symptoms and mortality also raises questions about symptom bothersomeness in making treatment decisions. Dr. Åkerla and colleagues conclude: “The lack of association between symptom bother and mortality possibly reinforces the very subjective nature of bother as a construct compared to more objectively measured symptom severity.”
About The Journal of Urology®
The Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA), and the most widely read and highly cited journal in the field, The Journal of Urology® brings solid coverage of the clinically relevant content needed to stay at the forefront of the dynamic field of urology. This premier journal presents investigative studies on critical areas of research and practice, survey articles providing brief editorial comments on the best and most important urology literature worldwide and practice-oriented reports on significant clinical observations. The Journal of Urology® covers the wide scope of urology, including pediatric urology, urologic cancers, renal transplantation, male infertility, urinary tract stones, female urology and neurourology.
About the American Urological Association
Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has nearly 24,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health care policy. To learn more about the AUA visit: www.auanet.org
About Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the clinicians, nurses, accountants, lawyers, and tax, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with advanced technology and services.
Wolters Kluwer reported 2019 annual revenues of €4.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.
Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students with advanced clinical decision support, learning and research and clinical intelligence. For more information about our solutions, visit https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/health and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth.
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