title: Outcomes of medical and surgical treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms (benign prostatic obstruction)--a population-based cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare outcome of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) between men with medical and surgical treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was mailed to men aged 55, 65 and 75 years living in Tampere region, Finland in 1999 and the survey was repeated in 2004. LUTS were evaluated using DAN-PSS-1 questionnaire. A total of 1679 men (68% of the eligible) responded to both questionnaires. Of them, 114 men reported LUTS at baseline and medical treatment in the repeat survey and 47 men with LUTS had received surgical treatment. Seventy-two men with prostate cancer were excluded. Men with no medical treatment or surgery for LUTS in either questionnaire were included to no-treatment group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The men after surgical treatment showed a reduction in all LUTS symptom groups. However, among the medically treated and untreated men, all the symptoms worsened during the follow up. The proportion of symptomatic men after surgery was lower than among the medically treated men. In men with medical treatment, the prevalence of all 12 LUTS increased. Dysuria and postmicturition dribble were the only symptoms that had slightly better results in medical than in surgical treatment group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population-based study, operative treatment seemed to relieve LUTS, whereas medical treatment only slowed down their progression. These findings suggest that men with surgical treatment experience a more favourable outcome in LUTS than those receiving medical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tampere University Hospital and University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland; Keski-Suomi Central Hospital, Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pöyhönen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Auvinen
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Häkkinen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koskimäki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hakama
authors.forename: T L J
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Tammela
mesh_terms: D058891:5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018674:Adrenergic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000379:methods*; D053448:Prostatism / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D058891:5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors; D018674:Adrenergic Antagonists