Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms, Quality of Life and Coping Styles: the longitudinal Krimpen study in community-dwelling older men

During the past decades, a lot of knowledge about the epidemiology and natural history of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and the efficacy and safety of treatment approaches was gained from research published in the international literature. Worldwide the prevalence of men with LUTS is known, and the attention on the impact of LUTS on quality of life (QOL) is growing strongly. Remarkably, the most studies upon which this knowledge is based are cross sectional in study design. The Krimpen Study offers the opportunity to study factors associated with LUTS in a longitudinal study design. The aim of this thesis is to study the relationship between LUTS, QOL and coping styles. To study the clinical relevance of these factors also the relationship with general practitioner consultation and – policy was determined. Chapter 2 presents the study design of the Krimpen Study. In this study, all eligible men, 50 to 78 years living in Krimpen aan den IJssel, were invited to complete a 113-item questionnaire, a three-day-frequency-volume chart and to visit the health centre and the urology outpatient department of the Erasmus MC for additional measurements, including blood pressure, urinalyses, body height and weight, digital rectal examination, transrectal ultrasound of the prostate, uroflowmetry, post-void residual volume, and serum prostate specific antigen. After the baseline study three consecutive rounds of follow-up were performed with an average follow-up period of 2.1, 4.2 and 6.5 years. In each of these rounds all measurements were repeated. The visit to the health centre in Krimpen aan den IJssel was only at baseline. Men who did not respond at first or second-follow up and did not meet the exclusion criteria were nevertheless also re-invited for participation in the third follow-up round. After the last follow-up round data is assembled of the medical GP files of the participants and the pharmacy database.

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