Lower urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction are highly prevalent in ageing men.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate a possible correlation between the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) in an unselected population of men presenting to a clinic, as lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are highly prevalent in ageing men, and recent largely community-based epidemiological studies reported a close association between ED and LUTS.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study in an unselected consecutive sample of 118 men aged >40 years attending a urology clinic; the reason for consulting was not ascertained. While in the waiting room the men were asked to participate in the study and on agreement were given the IPSS and the SHIM to complete.


RESULTS
The mean (range) age of the participants was 61.7 (45-82) years. Overall, 19 (16%) and 47 (40%) of the men reported having moderate or severe LUTS, respectively. Erectile problems were also common, the prevalence of moderate ED was 11% and complete ED 29%. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the IPSS and the SHIM was - 0.32 (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
There was a close correlation between the IPSS and SHIM in this unselected population of men, adding evidence favouring a close association between LUTS and ED.
Glina
Sidney
S
Urology, Hospital Ipiranga, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. glinas@terra.com.br
Santana
Antonio W
AW
Azank
Flavio
F
Mello
Luiz F
LF
Moreira
Edson D
ED
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014563:Urodynamics