Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2012 Sep;15(3):273-7. doi: 10.1038/pcan.2011.69. Epub 2012 Feb 21.
This study was performed to report the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs), bother and related quality of life (QOL) and health-seeking behaviour in men 40 years old or older in Singapore.
The study was a community-based, cross-sectional study targeting males 40 years and above in the township of Bedok North, Singapore. An interviewer-administered questionnaire inclusive of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) was used to score symptom severity objectively.
There were a total of 644 respondents. In all, 16.5% of patients with LUTS had moderate-to-severe LUTS (IPSS ≥8). The prevalence of LUTS was found to be significantly associated with age, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The impact on QOL because of LUTS was proportional to the severity of LUTS. Nocturia was associated with the most bother. Out of the respondents with moderate-to-severe LUTS, 71.7% of them did not seek help for their symptoms.
The investigators thus conclude that LUTS is common in our population and has significant impact on QOL. However, <30% of patients with moderate-to-severe LUTS sought medical attention for symptoms. We believe that steps should be taken to increase public awareness and variability of treatment options to address this problem facing the growing number of elderly men in the population.
本研究旨在报告新加坡 40 岁及以上男性下尿路症状（LUTS）、困扰及其相关生活质量（QOL）和就医行为的流行情况。
该研究是一项以社区为基础的横断面研究，目标人群为新加坡勿洛北区 40 岁及以上的男性。采用问卷调查的方式，由调查员对患者进行访谈，其中包括国际前列腺症状评分（IPSS），客观评估症状严重程度。
共纳入 644 名受访者。共有 16.5%的 LUTS 患者存在中重度 LUTS（IPSS≥8）。LUTS 的患病率与年龄、糖尿病和高血压显著相关。LUTS 对 QOL 的影响与 LUTS 的严重程度成正比。夜尿症与最大困扰相关。在中重度 LUTS 的患者中，71.7%的患者未因症状寻求帮助。
因此，研究人员得出结论，LUTS 在本地区人群中很常见，对 QOL 有显著影响。然而，仅有不到 30%的中重度 LUTS 患者因症状寻求医疗帮助。我们认为，应该采取措施提高公众意识和治疗方案的多样性，以解决这一问题，因为越来越多的老年男性面临这一问题。
