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Many older men are affected and careful investigation will direct appropriate treatment, writes Suneeta Kochhar

The term lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) refers to problems related to storage, voiding and post-micturition.

In the majority of cases, men experiencing LUTS have benign prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia), which results in bladder outflow obstruction.1 Other causes of LUTS are urinary tract infection (UTI), malignancy, neurological disorders, prostatitis and detrusor muscle weakness or overactivity.1 The symptoms may be a significant cause of morbidity. There may be an underlying malignancy.

The prevalence of LUTS increases with age, and it affects about one third of men over the age of 65.1 It is also estimated that up to one third of men aged over 50 have moderate to severe LUTS.2 Furthermore, as a man ages the severity of LUTS increases.

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