Correlation of self-reported urologic symptoms with systemic health conditions in minority men

Background To investigate the correlation between presence and severity of urologic symptoms and self-reported systemic health conditions in minority men. Methods Questionnaires were distributed at a Men's Minority Health Fair. Urologic symptoms were assessed with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) and NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Score (CPSI). Each was graded as absent/mild [0], moderate [1] or severe [2] by standard criteria for each and totaled for a urologic score (US). Other questions included age, height/weight and queried heart disease, diabetes, anxiety/stress, sleep apnea and neurologic disease. A systemic score (SS) graded each plus obesity for 6 domains (0-2 for each). Results A total of 52 men completed the surveys with a mean age of 58.8 (range, 37-76) years. By symptom score criteria, 17 (33%) had 1 urologic condition, 19 (37%) had 2 and 5 (10%) had all 3. Mean total US was 1.9 (range, 0-6) and mean SS was 2.9 (range, 0-10). There was a strong correlation between US and SS (Spearman Rho =0.73, P<0.0001). The hierarchy of systemic condition impact on US was cardiovascular > anxiety > obesity > diabetes > sleep apnea > neurologic. By multivariable analysis, after adjusting for age, each systemic component strongly correlated with the US. The multivariable model with age plus all of the systemic scores predicted US more accurately than with any one of its components alone. Conclusions Self-reported systemic health conditions correlate strongly with presence and severity of urologic symptoms in minority men.