Community study of uncomplicated lower urinary tract symptoms among male italien immigrants in Sydney, Australia

Objective: To determine the prevalence, levels of bother and self-reported management of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in Italian-born men aged 40-80 years. Method: 305 randomly selected men aged 40-80 years (72% response rate) part icipated in a community-based study (computer-assisted telephone survey) in early 1997 in Sydney, Australia. Results: LUTS are common: 41% of men needed to wake up at least once at nig ht to urinate; 35% indicated they had terminal dribbling 'sometimes' or 'fr equently'; 31% experienced urgency although few (3%) had urge incontinence; 19% could retain urine in their bladder during the day for no more than 2 h, and 19% experienced hesitancy. Urinary symptoms correlated moderately/po orly with self-rated bother. The prevalence of bothersome frequency and urg ency was significantly age-related. Only half (n = 49, 52%) of the men both ered by urinary symptoms had seen a general practitioner (GP) about these s ymptoms in the last 5 years: of these three quarters had been referred to a urologist and half of these had received surgical treatment. Anxiety about prostate cancer, but not the degree of bother from urinary symptoms, indep endently predicted attendance at a GP (adjusted odds ratio 6.4, p = 0.006). Conclusions: Although LUTS are common in Italian-born men, their experience s of bother do not correlate well with symptoms and do not appear to influe nce referral and treatment. Education is needed to improve men's understand ing of the importance of 'bother' as an indicator for urological surgery. C opyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.