Incidence of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in a Population-based Study of Men and Women

Objective To report the incidence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in a racially and ethnically and age-diverse U.S. population-based sample of men and women. Materials and Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study with 5 years of follow-up. A stratified 2-stage cluster random sampling method was used to recruit 5502 Boston residents aged 30-79 years of black, Hispanic, or white race or ethnicity. Of these, 4144 (1610 men and 2534 women) completed the follow-up protocol. The American Urological Association Symptom Index was used to define moderate-to-severe LUTS. Results Of the 3301 men and women with no or mild LUTS at baseline, the 5-year incidence of moderate-to-severe LUTS (American Urological Association Symptom Index ≥8) was 11.4% overall and was higher for women than for men (13.9% vs 8.5%, P = .02). Although the incidence increased with age ( P