Lower urinary tract symptoms, benign prostatic obstruction and the overactive bladder.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Urology
• Aging Research

Background:

• Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), benign prostatic obstruction (BPO), and overactive bladder (OAB) increase with age.
• The relationship between BPO and OAB, particularly whether BPO causes OAB, remains unclear.
• OAB symptoms are often the most bothersome LUTS in older men.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between benign prostatic obstruction and overactive bladder.
• To determine if benign prostatic obstruction is a direct cause of overactive bladder.
• To analyze the complex interplay between aging, BPO, and OAB.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing evidence suggesting a causal link between BPO and OAB.
• Analysis of long-term follow-up studies with repeated urodynamic investigations.
• Consideration of epidemiological research and potential for new animal models.

Main Results:

• Overactive bladder is more prevalent in men than women, potentially due to biological aging differences.
• Surgical intervention for BPO resolves OAB in a significant portion of patients.
• Long-term studies show increasing OAB incidence independent of worsening BPO.

Conclusions:

• The statement 'overactive bladder is secondary to BPO' cannot be definitively made due to unresolved questions.
• Overactive bladder is associated with BPO and contributes to troublesome LUTS in older men.
• Further research, including epidemiological studies, urodynamics, and biological data, is needed to clarify the relationship.