Relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms and metabolic syndrome in a community-based elderly population

Evidence has shown that a relationship exists between lower urinary tract symptoms and the metabolic syndrome. We investigated the relationship between the metabolic syndrome and lower urinary tract symptoms in a community-based elderly population.

We collected data from the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging. We selected a total of 348 male participants by random sampling. The selected patients were interviewed with a questionnaire that included the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and were evaluated with history, physical examination, blood tests, and transrectal ultrasonography. We divided the participant into two groups: the metabolic syndrome group, which met the metabolic syndrome criteria (n = 102, 74.3 +/- 8.1 years old) and the nonmetabolic syndrome group, which did not (n = 246, 74.9 +/- 8.1 years old). We compared the voiding symptoms, quality of life, and prostate volume between the two groups.

No significant differences were found in the mean IPSS or quality-of-life score between the metabolic and nonmetabolic syndrome groups. The total IPSS for the two groups was 11.1 +/- 8.2 and 12.3 +/- 8.8, respectively (P > .05), and the quality-of-life score was 2.1 +/- 1 and 52.4 +/- 1.6, respectively (P > .05). The percentage of patients with moderate to severe voiding symptoms (IPSS of 8 or greater) was not different between the metabolic and nonmetabolic groups (55% and 61%, respectively, P > .05).

No statistically significant differences were found in voiding symptoms between the metabolic and nonmetabolic groups. The results of our study showed that no relationship exists between lower urinary tract symptoms and metabolic syndrome in elderly Korean male patients.