Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Assessment of Perigenital Sensitivity and Prostatic Mast Cell Activation in a Mouse Model of Neonatal Maternal Separation
Published on: August 13, 2015
Natural history of prostatism: longitudinal changes in voiding symptoms in community dwelling men
S J Jacobsen1, C J Girman, H A Guess
1Department of Health Sciences Research (Section of Clinical Epidemiology), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Purpose:
We report the results of 3 contacts during 42 months of The Olmsted County Study of Urinary Symptoms and Health Status Among Men, a longitudinal cohort study of men 40 to 79 years old that was initiated in 1990 to describe changes in lower urinary tract symptom severity.
Materials And Methods:
At baseline and followup, men completed questionnaires that elicited urinary symptom severity with questions nearly identical to those of the American Urological Association symptom index:
Results:
Overall, there was an average increase in American Urological Association symptom index of approximately 0.18 (95% confidence interval 0.13 to 0.24) points per year of followup. The average annual symptom score slope and variability in slope increased with patient age at baseline from a mean of 0.05 +/- 1.06 (standard deviation) per year among men in the forties to 0.44 +/- 1.35 per year for men in the sixties, and decreased to 0.14 +/- 1.42 per year for men in the seventies. The age-related changes in symptom severity mirror previous estimates of prostatic growth from autopsy prevalence studies.
Conclusions:
These results demonstrate a slow but measurable progression in urinary symptom severity among community dwelling men for 42 months of followup.
Related Concept Videos
Longitudinal Research
Disorders of the Male Reproductive System
Prostate disorders are another major concern. These conditions can impair urinary flow due to the prostate's location around the urethra. Symptoms...
Nursing Assessment of the Genitourinary System I: Health History
Imaging Studies VI: Voiding Cystourethrography and Cystography
Urodynamic Studies: Uroflowmetry
Microbiota of the Urogenital Tract

