Describing patients seeking care for lower urinary tract symptoms

The term “lower urinary tract symptoms” (LUTS) includes a wide range of symptoms, including urgency, frequency, dysuria (painful urination), nocturia (excessive nighttime urination), post-void dribbling, and urinary incontinence. Much is still unknown about the effects of LUTS, and treatments often fall short of fully addressing the problem.

The Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) was established to better understand and describe patients’ experiences with LUTS. In a paper in the Journal of Urology, LURN researchers describe the baseline symptoms of the LURN study cohort, composed of 519 men and 545 women who sought care for their LUTS.

Several urinary symptoms affected men and women similarly. Urinary frequency, nocturia, and a sense of incomplete bladder emptying were common in both sexes, challenging the common misconception that women experience more LUTS than men. Nocturia was more likely to occur in older patients, regardless of sex.

Men were far more likely than women to report voiding symptoms such as having to strain, having their urine stream start and stop, hesitancy, or a weak stream. Women reported more urinary incontinence and fear of urgency.

This baseline report provides a clear picture of a treatment-seeking group of patients whose LUTS symptoms vary widely by sex and age. Future reports will examine additional data from this cohort, including biological samples and bladder diaries, to add to the understanding of LUTS in this group.