The Urology Center Glossary terms

Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (Male):

The term lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) implies urinary symptoms which are caused by diseases which effect the bladder, prostate or urethra, as opposed to upper urinary symptoms caused by irregularities which effect the kidneys and ureters. LUTS consist of burning with urination (dysuria), frequent nighttime urinating (nocturia), decreased force of the urinary stream (slow urine stream), the feeling of incomplete bladder emptying, urge to urinate (urinary urgency) and others. LUTS are nonspecific and many urological, as well as non-urological disease processes may trigger of these symptoms.

While many people assume that slowing of the urinary stream in a man is due to prostate enlargement or blockage, slowing of the urinary stream may be seen with several other diseases. Interestingly, LUTS are found as commonly in women, as in men. It must be intuitively recognized that the prostate cannot be responsible for all of these symptoms. Thus, there is a real need for a comprehensive evaluation of the symptoms by a qualified urologist.

(Please visit our Benign Prostate Enlargement Center of Excellence for additional information. Also see related glossary terms: Benign Prostate Enlargement, BPH, Prostate Microwave Procedure, Prostate Surgery, Prostatitis, Prostate Cancer, Bladder Cancer or visit http://www.prostate.org.)