OBJECTIVES: To assess the burden of illness and unmet need arising from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) presumed secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) from an individual patient and societal perspective with a focus on the UK.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Embase, PubMed, the World Health Organization, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination were searched to identify studies on the epidemiological, humanistic or economic burden of LUTS/BPH published in English between October 2001 and January 2013 Data were extracted and the quality of the studies was assessed for inclusion UK data were reported; in the absence of UK data, European and US data were provided.
RESULTS: In total, 374 abstracts were identified, 104 full papers were assessed and 33 papers met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. An additional paper was included in the review upon a revision in 2014 The papers show that LUTS are common in the UK - affecting about 3% of men aged 45-49 years, rising to >30% in men aged 85 years and older European and US studies have demonstrated the major impact of LUTS on quality of life of the patient and their partner LUTS are associated with high personal and societal costs, both in direct medical costs and indirect losses in daily functioning. While treatment costs in the UK are relatively low compared with other countries, the burden on health services is still substantial.
CONCLUSION: LUTS associated with BPH is a highly impactful condition which is often undertreated LUTS/BPH have a major impact on men, their families, health services and society Men with LUTS secondary to BPH should not simply accept their symptoms as part of ageing, but should be encouraged to consult their physicians if they have bothersome symptoms.
Written by:
Speakman M, Kirby R, Doyle S, Ioannou C. Are you the author?
Department of Urology, Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 5DA, UK.
Reference: BJU Int. 2014 Mar 24. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1111/bju.12745
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24656222
