Objective: To describe the incidence of acute urinary retention (AUR) in the general male population and in a population of men newly diagnosed with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of BPH (LUTS/BPH). Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study in the Integrated Primary Care Information (IPCI) database, a GP research database in The Netherlands, during the period 1995-2000. All males, ≥45 years, without a history of AUR or radical cystectomy were included in the study. In addition, we followed a sub-cohort of men, newly diagnosed with LUTS/BPH. AUR was defined as the sudden inability to urinate, requiring catheterization. Results: Amongst 56,958 males with a mean follow-up of 2.8 years, 344 AUR cases occurred (incidence rate 2.2/1000 man-years) of whom more than 40% were precipitated. AUR was the first symptom of LUTS/BPH in 73 (49%) of the 149 AUR cases that occurred in men newly diagnosed with LUTS/BPH. The risk of AUR was 11-fold higher in patients newly diagnosed with LUTS/BPH (RR 11.5; 95%CI: 8.4-15.6) with an overall incidence rate of 18.3/1000 man-years (95%CI: 14.5-22.8). Conclusions: The incidence rate of AUR is low in the general population but substantial in a population of men newly diagnosed with LUTS/BPH. The incidence rate increases with age and AUR is precipitated in approximately 40% of all cases. Within the LUTS/BPH cohort, AUR is the first presenting symptom of BPH in 50% of all AUR cases.

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doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2004.11.011, hdl.handle.net/1765/66298
European Urology : Official Journal of the European Association of Urology
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

Verhamme, K., Dieleman, J., van Wijk, M., Bosch, R., Stricker, B., & Sturkenboom, M. (2005). Low incidence of acute urinary retention in the general male population: The triumph project. European Urology : Official Journal of the European Association of Urology, 47(4), 494–498. doi:10.1016/j.eururo.2004.11.011