NATURAL-HISTORY OF PROSTATISM - IMPACT OF URINARY SYMPTOMS ON QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN 2115 RANDOMLY SELECTED COMMUNITY MEN

Objectives. To assess the impact of urinary symptoms on health-related quality of life (QoL), including degree of bother, worry, interferenc e with daily activities, psychological well-being, sexual function, an d general health in a community-based cohort of men. Methods. Eligible white men (n = 2115) aged 40 to 79 years who had not undergone previo us prostate surgery or had prostate cancer were randomly selected from county residents. These subjects completed a questionnaire, which ask ed them about frequency and bother of urinary symptoms, interference w ith daily activities, psychological well-being, worry about urologic d isease, sexual functioning, and general health. Results. Men with mode rate to severe voiding symptoms reported, on average, four to six time s the degree of bother and interference with daily activities and twic e the level of worry of men with mild symptoms. Nearly five times the degree of bother and interference was reported for those with mild tha n with no symptoms. A higher percentage of men with moderate to severe symptoms (26% to 35%) than mild symptoms (< 8%) reported limiting flu ids before bed, travel, or driving 2 hours. Receiver operating charact eristic curves support the recommended symptom index cutpoint for mode rate symptoms (= 8) by differentiating men with and without bother, in terference with daily living, or dissatisfaction with urinary conditio n. Conclusions. Moderate to severe urinary symptoms have a significant impact on men's lives in terms of degree of bother, worry, interferen ce with daily living, and psychological well-being. The recommended cu tpoint on symptom index differentiates men with and without decrement in health-related quality of life.