Lower urinary tract symptoms and erectile dysfunction: epidemiology and treatment in the aging man.

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are common urologic problems that are seen in the aging male population. Until recently, aging itself was considered the common link between ED and LUTS. However, recent studies have shown that the links between these two disease processes are much more complex and are possibly inter-related with a common mechanism. This newly recognized independent relationship between ED and LUTS has the potential to have a profound impact on the way we diagnose and treat these common urologic disorders.