AUA: Urinary Symptoms in Older Men Linked to Increased Fall Risk

By Charles Bankhead

ORLANDO, 23 may 2008-- Lower urinary tract symptoms significantly increase the risk of falls in older men, a large prospective cohort study suggested.
Both moderate and severe symptoms independently influenced the risk of falls, J. Kellogg Parsons, M.D., of the University of California San Diego, reported at the American Urological Association meeting here. Falls were most closely associated with urgency, straining to start urination, and nocturia.
"These results may justify routine assessment of urinary symptoms in primary care," Dr. Parsons concluded.
Lower urinary tract symptoms affect 15% to 60% of men age 40 and older, and the prevalence increases with age. Falls also become more prevalent with age, and 25% of men older than 65 have one or more falls each year, Dr. Parsons noted.
Symptoms, particularly nocturia and incontinence, have been postulated to increase the risk of falls, but the association had not been studied in detail, he continued. The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study afforded a chance to examine the link between LUTS and falls in a large group of community-dwelling men.
Dr. Parsons and colleagues analyzed data on 5,872 MrOS participants, all 65 or older. Baseline information included the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms, as defined by the AUA Symptom Index: mild, 0-7; moderate, 8-19; and severe, 20+. Stratification by symptom score showed that 54% of the men had mild symptoms, 39% had moderate symptoms, and 7% severe.
Overall, 1,231 men (21%) reported falling at least once in the previous 12 months. The risk of falls increased significantly with age (P<0.0001)>