The association of lower urinary tract symptoms with incidental falls and fear of falling in later life: The Community Health Survey

Aim To evaluate the association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and incidental falls and fear of falling. Methods We used data obtained from the 2011 Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS) conducted between August and October 2011 in South Korea. The survey was carried out to estimate patterns of disease prevalence and morbidity in men >40 years old. The trained interviewers performed face‐to‐face sociodemographic questionnaires using computer‐assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) software, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), the Quality of Life score (EQ‐5D), and a questionnaire about past falls and fear of falling. Results Data from 67 457 men were collected and analyzed. The subjects who had previously experienced a fall had slightly higher scores for IPSS, severity of LUTS, voiding LUTS, and storage LUTS than subjects with no prior fall history. A multivariate model of the relationship between falls and LUTS severity indicated that the relationship between the IPSS components and fall history was significant (mild, moderate, severe: OR = 1.00, 2.53, 3.91, respectively, P