[The patient with diabetes in urologic practice: a special risk for lower urinary tract symptoms? Results of the Witten diabetes survey of 4071 type 2 diabetics].

Due to demographic developments in industrial nations, age-correlated diseases such as diabetes are becoming more important. In conclusion, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are a frequent reason for searching treatment by urologists. The association between LUTS and benign prostatic hyperplasia or neurologic diseases is accepted. In contrast there is limited knowledge about the connection of diabetes mellitus and LUTS although an autonomic neuropathy due to diabetes makes urinary bladder dysfunction likely. The following survey covered data of 4071 patients with diabetes type 2 with a medium age of 67,4 years and a diabetes duration of 8,8 years. The incidence of LUTS in diabetic patients increases by increasing age, longer diabetes duration and concomitant diabetes complications e. G. erectile dysfunction. There was a difference in severity of LUTS in patients in urologic treatment or in treatment of a general practitioner: 81,1% of the patients in urologic treatment reported LUTS; in comparison 60,7% of patients being treated by general practitioners complained of LUTS. The LUTS being reported in urologic practice were more severe; e. G. the number of incontinence episodes per week of urologic patients was 7,5, the number of incontinence episodes in general practice 5,7. Lower urinary tract symptoms were most frequently classified as OAB in male patients and classified as mixed incontinence in females. The amount of patients with LUTS was higher in patients with diabetes complications (79,8% vs. 49,9%); there was only a small difference in the number of patients with LUTS stratified by co-medication (64% patients with LUTS without any co-medication; 72% patients with co-medication). The high number of diabetic patients with LUTS in general and urologic practice indicates an underestimation of the problem. LUTS in patients with type-2-diabetes should be screened as eye complications, erectile dysfunction or circulatory disorders by urologists and general practitioners.