[Health-care seeking behavior related to lower urinary tract symptoms : a population-based study in Japan]

We aimed to investigate health-care seeking behavior related to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) using a questionnaire-based survey. The questionnaire included questions related to 5 demographic issues, 9 past histories, 8 LUTS, and others about health-care seeking related to LUTS. We sent the questionnaire to 6,000 residents, 41 to 70 years old, in three Japanese communities (Tobetsu, in a subarctic zone, Kumiyama, in a temperate zone, and Sashiki, in a subtropical zone). Of the questionnaires, 36.5% were valid for analyses. The prevalence of desire for treatment for LUTS was 15.6% (still-treated health-care seeker : 4.5%, never-treated health-care seeker : 11.1%). This finding suggested that, among residents with a desire for treatment, only 29% actually had treatment for LUTS. Multivariate analyses revealed that incomplete emptying, weak stream, and straining for males, and urinary frequency, nocturia, and incontinence for females were independently significant factors associated with health-care seeking related toLUTS.