The Association Between Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Renal Function in Men: A Cross-Sectional and 5-Year Longitudinal Analysis

PurposeWe assessed the association between LUTS and renal function in men in a cross-sectional and a longitudinal study.Materials and MethodsMen participating in health investigation in Vienna entered this study. In the cross-sectional analysis a consecutive series of men were studied and in the longitudinal analysis men were reevaluated after 5 years. LUTS were assessed by I-PSS and renal function was evaluated by GFR, as calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault equation.ResultsA total of 2.469 men with a mean age of 47.1 years (range 30 to 80) entered the cross-sectional study and 439 with a mean age of 51.7 years (range 45 to 79) could be assessed in longitudinal analysis. In the cross-sectional study there was no association between the degree of LUTS and GFR during 5 life decades (p = 0.55). An identical pattern was observed for irritative and obstructive scores. In the longitudinal cohort mean GFR ± SD decreased from 84.3 ± 20.2 ml per minute at baseline to 79.2 ± 18.7 ml per minute after 5 years (−6.0%, p <0.0001). The mean decrease in GFR after 5 years was 4.5 ml per minute (−5.4%) in men without/mild LUTS (I-PSS 7 or less at ages 55.4 ± 11.0 years), 3.9 ml per minute (−4.9%) in those with moderate LUTS (I-PSS 8 to 20 at ages 61.3 ± 11.6 years) and 4.2 ml per minute (−5.2%) in those with severe LUTS (I-PSS greater than 20 at ages 64.3 ± 7.4 years). On linear regression analysis in the 2 study cohorts neither I-PSS, nor obstructive or irritative score affected GFR (p >0.05). The only determinants for GFR less than 90 ml per minute were age (p <0.0001) and hypertension (p <0.0001).ConclusionsLUTS do not represent an independent risk factor for impaired renal function in men.