title: Longitudinal changes in lower urinary tract symptoms among a cohort of black American men: the Flint Men's Health Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the progression of lower urinary tract symptoms in a longitudinal population-based cohort of black men. Population-based studies of prostatism and longitudinal data regarding changes in lower urinary tract symptom severity have largely focused on white men, with little attention directed toward black men.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 1996, a probability sample of 369 black men, aged 40 to 79 years, residing in Genesee County, Michigan, and without a prior history of prostate cancer/surgery participated in a prostate cancer screening protocol that included completing the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI). Four years after baseline, 175 of the 369 men agreed to participate in the follow-up protocol. Of the 175 men, 149 had not reported undergoing treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia and had complete symptom data. These men were included in this study. Differences between baseline and follow-up AUASI scores were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean and standard deviation AUASI scores at baseline and follow-up were 7.1 (6.4) and 7.0 (6.8), respectively. Although overall no statistically significant change was found in the mean AUASI during the 4 years of follow-up (-0.11; SD 6.2; P = 0.7), the average change in the symptom score and the variability in the change increased with patient age at baseline from a mean of -0.42 (SD 5.0) among men in their 40s to 2.1 (SD 6.6) among men in their 70s. Of the 91 men (61.1%) who reported mild to no symptoms (AUASI score 7 or less) at baseline, 24 (26.4%) reported moderate to severe symptoms (AUASI score 8 or more) at follow-up. This progression of symptom severity was observed across all ages.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population-based study of longitudinal changes in urinary symptoms in black men, we found a substantial percentage of men demonstrated a measurable progression in urinary symptom severity over time. Additional studies are needed to examine critically any racial differences in lower urinary tract symptom progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0759, USA.
authors.forename: Aruna V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Sarma
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Logie
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dolin
authors.forename: Rodney L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Cooney
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Montie
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schottenfeld
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D018450:Disease Progression; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D001741:Black or African American