The prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms in Austrian males and associations with sociodemographic variables

The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of lower urinary tract sy mptoms (LUTS) in Austrian males and to correlate the findings with sociodem ographic variables. In a population-based cross-sectional study in Austria in the year 1995, data on voiding symptoms were collected from a representa tive sample of men by using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) . Only 28.6% of the males aged 15 to 89 years (total n = 939) reported no L UTS at all (IPSS = 0). In the group of males who report symptoms, a positiv e correlation of the IPSS with age is found. Furthermore IPSS correlates wi th weekly alcohol and nicotine consumption, but not with the respondent's b ody-mass index (BMI), educational status and monthly household income. The bothersomeness of LUTS increases with age, leaving more than 12% of the mal es aged 40 to 89 dissatisfied with urinary symptoms. Extrapolated to popula tion numbers, more than 87,000 males in Austria (aged 15 to 89 years) would feel `terribly' if they were to spend the rest of their lives with urinary symptoms as they were at the time of the survey. Due to an estimated futur e increase of the proportion of older people in Austria, the number of male s with LUTS will rise significantly, thereby placing increased burden on me dical resources in the future.