Mayo study links sexual and urinary dysfunctions

Mayo Clinic researchers report that there may be an association between lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction among older men.

Mayo Clinic researchers report that there may be an association between lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction among older men.As the population ages, this finding will help further research that could help millions of men.Lower urinary tract symptoms become common as men age and their prostates enlarge, restricting urine flow or altering their bladder habits. At this same age (65 and older) an estimated 100 million men worldwide experience erectile dysfunction.The Mayo Clinic researchers set out to determine whether the urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction are related.”This observation suggests there may be a common cause that someday may prove amenable to medical treatments that could be effective for treating both conditions,” says Dr. Steven Jacobsen, senior author of the study in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.The study covered 2,115 male patients ages 40 to 79. The men completed questionnaires in 1990 and were followed up every two years.(Source: Indianapolis Star Health, June 2004)