A cross-sectional study of the international prostate symptom scores related to age and gender in Dutch adults reporting no voiding complaints.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the IPSS in a selected population reporting no voiding complaints. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 1143 adults without voiding complaints were included. They were divided over both sexes and all decades. All subjects filled out questionnaires including the IPSS. Statistical analysis was aimed at relating the IPSS to age and gender.
RESULTS: The IPSS in both sexes shows a gradual significant increase in consecutive age groups. Men in the third age decade have a mean score of 2.8, while men older than 70 years of age have a score of 7.0. In women these scores are 4.0 and 5.6 respectively. The increase is about equally caused by storage and voiding scores. The items addressing weak stream in men and nocturia and urgency in men and women are the major factors causing the correlation with age. Nearly 17% of all subjects have moderate symptom scores and 1% has severe scores.
CONCLUSION: In both adult men and women reporting no voiding complaints the IPSS increases with age. This rise is more prominent in males.