Objectives
To evaluate the cross-sectional association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
severity and sexual function in a population-based sample of men and the extent to
which this association might be explained by age.
Subjects and Methods
Subjects in The Olmsted County Study of Urinary Symptoms and Health Status Among Men
(55% participation rate) included 2115 white men aged 40 to 79 years; subjects were
recruited on January 1, 1990, from a random sample identified through the Rochester
Epidemiology Project. At baseline in 1990 and biennially thereafter, these men completed
a self-administered questionnaire that assessed LUTS severity with questions similar
to those of the American Urological Association Symptom Index. At the 6-year follow-up,
11 previously validated questions about male sexual function from the Brief Sexual
Function Inventory were added.
Results
Overall, each of the sexual function domains (sexual drive, erectile function, ejaculatory
function, problem assessment, and overall sexual satisfaction) was inversely associated
with the severity of LUTS, with Spearman correlation coefficients ranging from –0.21
to –0.31 (all P<.001). In age-adjusted analyses, the ejaculatory function and problem assessment
domains were most strongly associated with overall LUTS severity, whereas the association
with sexual drive was substantially diminished. Little difference was noted in the
magnitude of association between sexual function and either obstructive or irritative
symptoms.
Conclusions
The cross-sectional data suggest that sexual function is inversely associated with
LUTS severity and that this association is only partially attributable to the confounding
effects of age.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Mayo Clinic ProceedingsAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
REFERENCES
- The worldwide prevalence and epidemiology of erectile dysfunction.Int J Impot Res. 2000; 12: S6-S11
- Prostatectomy for benign prostatic hyperplasia.in: Stevens A Raftery J Health Care Needs Assessment. Vol 2. Radcliffe Medical Press, Oxford, England1994: 140-201
- Value of postvoid residual urine determination in evaluation of prostatism.Urology. 1982; 20: 602-604
- The prevalence of prostatism: a population-based survey of urinary symptoms.J Urol. 1993; 150: 85-89
- Sexual function in patients with LUTS suggestive of BPH.Eur Urol. 2001; 40: 19-22
- Sexual dysfunction in men after treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms: evidence from randomised controlled trial.BMJ. 2002; 324: 1059-1061
- Results of an epidemiologic survey carried out with men 50-80 years of age to study urinary disorders, quality of life and sexual function [in French].Prog Urol. 2001; 11: 250-263
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia and erectile dysfunction—is there a link?.Curr Med Res Opin. 2000; 16: S63-S67
- Sexual function and urologic disease in the elderly male.J Am Geriatr Soc. 1963; 11: 647-652
- Frequency of intercourse in men.J Urol. 1972; 107: 298-301
- Potency and prostatectomy.Br J Urol. 1977; 49: 683-688
- The relationship between sexual life and urinary condition in the French community.J Clin Epidemiol. 1996; 49: 1171-1176
- Differences in outcome of transurethral resection of the prostate for benign prostatic hypertrophy between three diagnostic categories.Br J Urol. 1993; 72: 322-330
- Sexual dysfunction in men with lower urinary tract symptoms.J Clin Epidemiol. 1998; 51: 677-685
- Epidemiology of erectile dysfunction in four countries: cross-national study of the prevalence and correlates of erectile dysfunction.Urology. 2003; 61: 201-206
- Prevalence and correlates of erectile dysfunction in Turkey: a population-based study.Eur Urol. 2002; 41: 298-304
- Health status and its correlates among Dutch community-dwelling older men with and without lower urogenital tract dysfunction.Eur Urol. 2002; 41: 602-607
- Natural history of prostatism: high American Urological Association Symptom scores among community-dwelling men and women with urinary incontinence.Urology. 1998; 51: 213-219
- A brief male sexual function inventory for urology.Urology. 1995; 46: 697-706
- Distribution of a Brief Sexual Inventory in community men.Int J Impot Res. 2003; 15: 185-191
- The effect of doxazosin on sexual function in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia, hypertension, or both.Int J Clin Pract. 2002; 56: 527-530
- Impact of interventional therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia on quality of life and sexual function.Curr Urol Rep. 2001; 2: 311-317
- Sexual function before and after various treatments for symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia.BJU Int. 2002; 89: 208-213
- Observational multi-centric trial performed with doxazosin: evaluation of sexual effects on patients with diagnosed benign prostatic hyperplasia.Urol Int. 2002; 68: 95-98
- Erectile function following high-energy thick loop prostatectomy.Scand J Urol Nephrol. 2001; 35: 300-304
- The evaluation of sexual function in men presenting with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia.Br J Urol. 1998; 82: 842-846
- Results of an epidemiological survey using a modified American Urological Association symptom index for benign prostatic hyperplasia in France.J Urol. 1994; 151: 1266-1270
- Prostatectomy and sexual function.Urology. 1987; 29: 467-478
- Sexual function of men ages 40 to 79 years: the Olmsted County Study of Urinary Symptoms and Health Status Among Men.J Am Geriatr Soc. 1995; 43: 1107-1111
- Epidemiology of erectile dysfunction: results of the ‘Cologne Male Survey.’.Int J Impot Res. 2000; 12: 305-311
- Association of LUTS with erectile dysfunction.Eur Urol. 1999; 35: 116
- An investigation into the relationship between prostate size, peak urinary flow rate and male erectile dysfunction.Int J Impot Res. 2001; 13: 322-325
Article Info
Footnotes
This research was funded in part by the US Public Health Services, National Institutes of Health ( AR30582, DK58859, and RR000585 ), and Merck Research Laboratories.
Identification
Copyright
© 2004 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
