Objective: To measure the prevalence and severity of urinary symptoms among men aged 55 and over in the British population.
Design: Cross sectional population survey using a postal questionnaire.
Setting: North West Thames health region.
Subjects: 1480 men aged 55 years and over randomly selected from 8 general practices.
Main outcome measures: Self reported frequency and severity of urinary symptoms, their bothersomeness and previous prostate surgery.
Results: The response rate among eligible subjects was 78%. The prevalence of moderate and severe symptoms was 204 per 1000, rising from 160 per 1000 in the 55-59 age group to 259 per 1000 in the 70-74 age group and declining after the age of 80 to 119 per thousand in the 85+ age group. Twelve per cent of men reported previous prostate surgery, and the probability of having had surgery increases steadily with age. About a third of those undergoing surgery have recurrence or persistence of symptoms after surgery. Of men with moderate and severe symptoms, 27.9% reported that their symptoms were a medium or big problem, 36.9% reported that their symptoms interfered with their daily activities at least some of the time, and 43.1% were unhappy or 'felt terrible' about the prospect of a future with their current symptoms.
Conclusion: The prevalence of urinary symptoms in men is lower than previously reported, although there is a substantial number of men who are bothered by, or who find their lives adversely effected by them.