title: [Relationship of socioeconomic factors with medical utilization for lower urinary tract symptoms and benign prostatic hyperplasia in a South Korean community].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We wanted to evaluate the medical underutilization for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among Korean elderly men and we wanted to determine their associated factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted on 239 men with LUTS and 116 men with BPH who were compatible with the diagnostic criteria from a total of 641 participants. These participants were over 50 years old and they were randomly chosen in a community-based study for estimating the prevalence of BPH. Using a self-reported questionnaire, we surveyed the sociodemographics, health status, quality of life, lower urinary tract symptoms, medical utilization and reasons for not seeking treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 27.6% of the men with LUTS and 31.0% of the men with BPH reported having visited a doctor for urinary symptoms. The reasons for not visiting a doctor were, in order of responses from the group with LUTS: 'considered the symptoms as a part of the normal ageing process', 'not enough time to visit a doctor', 'financial difficulty' and 'the symptoms were not severe or bothersome'. Regarding BPH, the responses were the same as those of the group with LUTS however, 'financial difficulty' placed second. Among the men with experience of visiting a doctor for urinary symptoms, 33.3% of those with LUTS and 28.1% of those with BPH were not treated. The most common reason in both groups was 'the symptoms were not severe to be treated'. On a multiple logistic regression analysis, the larger size household (odds ratio (OR) 3.03, 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 1.40-6.54) and an unsatisfactory quality of life related with urinary symptoms (OR 2.98, 95% CI = 1.23-7.21) were associated with medical utilization in the group of LUTS. For BPH, the current employment status was related with the medical utilization (OR 2.80, 95% CI = 1.10-7.11), in addition to the larger size household (OR 3.24, 95% CI = 1.14-9.21).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many men with urinary symptoms do not visit a doctor. This medical underutilization for people with LUTS and BPH may be associated with economic status in Korea.
authors.affiliation: Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.
authors.forename: Han-Hae
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyoung Ae
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Hun Jae
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Bo Eun
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ok-Ryun
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Hyesook
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000628:therapy*; D012923:Social Class; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000628:therapy*