Introduction: Voiding disorders in men are manifested by various symptoms associated with impairment of the urinary flow along the urinary tract and worsening of the urinary bladder storage function. There is a considerable lack of data on the prevalence of LUTS, their severity, and correlation with data from objective studies in men in the Russian Federation in general and in the Moscow region in particular.
Materials and methods: A prospective multicenter epidemiological study "Specific Features of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Men Living in the Moscow Region" was conducted based on data acquired from April 1 to May 31, 2017 by an anonymous survey of 525 men (mean age 64.2+/-9.93 years old), residing in Moscow and presenting with complaints of urination disorders. The respondents answered questions of a specially developed 140-item questionnaire. All demographic and medical information was taken into account, including concomitant diseases and ongoing therapy. The patients filled out the IIEF, I-PSS, QoL, and AMS (Aging Male Screening) questionnaires.
Results: Analysis the I-PSS scores showed that symptoms of the emptying phase predominated over the symptoms of the filling phase in all age groups. The most frequent complaints were "frequent urination" and "weak urine stream". Forty and 30% of respondents had moderate and severe LUTS, respectively. The remaining 30% of men had mild LUTS. Prostate volume was significantly greater than that reported in similar studies conducted in Asia, Europe and North America (mean 55.27 cm3). The level of total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was known in 98.8% of patients over the age of 50 and averaged 3.87+/-4.41 ng/ml. The mean age at the first testing for total PSA in Moscow is 56.7+/-9.0 years.
Conclusion: This study is the first epidemiological study of this scale and focus. Its findings can be used to compose a "portrait" of a standard patient and identify patterns that limit the extrapolation of international epidemiological studies to the population of Russian patients. It seems necessary to develop an updated LUTS management strategy, taking into account the identified national characteristics.
Keywords: BPH; LUTS; epidemiology.