Patients with lower urinary tract symptoms more likely to suffer from metaboli...( New York NY June 18 2009 Researcher...),Health

New York, NY, June 18, 2009 Researchers have determined that individuals with mild to severe symptoms of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are more likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome (MetS), a collection of cardiovascular risk factors thought to be linked by insulin resistance). LUTS encompass voiding (incomplete emptying, weak stream, intermittency, straining) and storage (frequency, urgency, nocturia) difficulties.

In a study published in the August 2009 issue of The Journal of Urology, researchers from the New England Research Institutes, Watertown, Massachusetts; the Department of Urology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois; Cornell University, Weill Medical College; Pfizer Inc, New York, New York; and Pfizer Ltd, Sandwich, United Kingdom, explored the possible association of LUTS with MetS using data from the Boston Area Community Health Survey. 2,301 men 30 to 79 years old were interviewed and analyses were conducted on 1,899 men who provided blood samples. Body measurements and blood pressure readings were done, and self-reported medical histories were taken.

The authors state, "These findings have important diagnostic and management implications. Patients who present with components of metabolic dysfunction should be routinely queried with respect to urological function, particularly voiding symptoms such as intermittency, incomplete emptying and nocturia, as well as the degree of associated bother. Sexual dysfunction symptoms, particularly erectile dysfunction, are similarly reported by the majority of men with MetS and should be routinely evaluated."

LUTS were assessed using the American Urological Association symptom index (AUASI), a clinically validated measure of urological symptoms. The AUASI was categorized into two groups as none or mild symptoms (AUASI less than 8) versus moderate or severe symptoms (AUASI 8 or greater). In this analysis MetS was defined as the presence of three or more of the
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