Natural history of lower urinary tract symptoms: preliminary report from a community-based Indian study.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the results of an analysis of baseline data from subjects included in the community-screening programme for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in the Anand and Kheda district in the Gujarat state of India.


METHODS
In all, 2406 men aged >40 years were screened in the community in 18 villages. All subjects were given an International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) to complete, had a detailed physical examination, uroflowmetry and urine analysis, and were assessed using transabdominal and transrectal ultrasonography. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationships between quality of life (QoL), age, IPSS, maximum flow rate (Q(max)) and prostate volume (PV); stepwise multiple regression was also used.


RESULTS
The mean (sd) age of the men was 62.1 (9.5) years. The PV (mean 21.6 mL, sd 10.63) increased linearly with age, while Q(max) (mean 14.6 mL/s, sd 8.4) decreased linearly. The mean (sd) IPSS was 12.2 (8.6) and did not correlate with age but correlated strongly with QoL (coefficient 0.72). Nocturia was the commonest symptom but correlated least with the IPSS and QoL (0.56 and 0.44). The correlations between Q(max), IPSS and PV were weak to moderate. The subjects had a 56% higher risk of developing moderate to severe symptoms if their PV was >25 mL.


CONCLUSIONS
These Indian men had smaller prostates with higher symptom scores than reported in the West. The IPSS was the strongest predictor of QoL. Overall, the correlation between Q(max), IPSS and PV was weak to moderate.
Department of Urology, Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital, Nadiad, Gujarat 387001, India.
Arvind P
AP
Ganpule
Mahesh R
MR
Desai
Mihir M
MM
Desai
Kishor D
KD
Wani
Sharad D
SD
Bapat
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016055:Urinary Retention / Q000453:epidemiology*