Prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms in Korean men in a community-based study

Objective: The prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms was determined in Korean men aged 50 and over. Methods: A community-based, epidemiologic study was performed in Yonchon County, Korea. The Korean version of the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) was used to assess the severity of urinary symptoms in a representative sample of 514 men. Results: Nocturia and weak stream were the most prevalent symptoms and urgency was the least. Overall, 23.2% of the men were moderately to severely symptomatic: 17.7% in the age group of 50-59 years, 23.3% in that of 60-69 years and 35.3% in that of 70 years and over. The proportion of severely symptomatic men approximately doubled with each decade of age. The 'quality of life' score showed a high correlation with the I-PSS. Our estimation indicated that in 1995 approximately 800,000 Korean men had moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms that were likely to be associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Conclusions: The prevalence of moderate to severe lower urinary tract symptoms in Korean men is substantially similar to that in Caucasians.