Place of overactive bladder in male lower urinary tract symptoms

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are highly prevalent in older men and women. Overactive bladder symptom syndrome (OAB) comprises the storage subset of LUTS and, in both sexes, is the most bothersome. The management of male LUTS has however, been disproportionately dominated in the past by an emphasis on prostatic pathology (bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) and prostatic enlargement). Pharmacotherapy that targets the prostate (e.g., α1-adrenoceptor antagonists) often fails to alleviate OAB symptoms, while many studies suggest that antimuscarinic therapy alone, or in combination with α1-adrenoceptor antagonists, can improve OAB symptoms in men with and without BOO. Recent studies suggest that arterial obstructive disease, such as atherosclerosis, may cause OAB in both men and women via ischemia, hypoxia and oxidative stress in the bladder. In this context, the use of phosphodiesterase inhibitors has been suggested to be a potential pharmacotherapy for men with LUTS. This article provides a review of the place of OAB in male LUTS and its treatment and provides an opportunity to draw data from a number of sources into one manuscript for critical review.