Which Happens Earlier, Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms or Erectile Dysfunction?

INTRODUCTION: Although an association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) has been suggested, it was not clarified whether LUTS developed before ED or vice versa. AIM: To clarify whether LUTS develop before ED or vice versa and which symptoms predicted the onset of the other condition in a longitudinal community-based study. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal community-based study on LUTS and ED in aged Japanese men. A follow-up study was conducted to determine their longitudinal changes of LUTS and ED after 15 years. Erectile function was evaluated using a validated questionnaire. LUTS were evaluated based on the International Prostate Symptom Score, quality of life index, and prostate volume. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: We evaluated the baseline symptoms among the participants who had LUTS and ED in the follow-up survey and what prior symptoms could predict the onset of the other condition using the data from a long-term longitudinal survey. RESULTS: A total of 108 men were enrolled in this study. Of the 47 men having both LUTS and ED in the follow-up study, men having only LUTS (n = 16) were more frequent than those having only ED (n = 6) in the initial study. Likewise, of the 38 men having both nocturia and ED at the time of the follow-up study, those having only nocturia (n = 12) were more frequent than those having only ED (n = 5) in the initial study. In multivariable analysis, age 60 years or older (odds ratio: 7.10, 95% CI: 2.09-24.13) and nocturia (odds ratio: 15.83, 95% CI: 3.05-82.15) were independent predictors for the onset of ED. CONCLUSION: There were more men with prior onset of LUTS, especially nocturia, than men with prior onset of ED among those with both ED and LUTS in this long-term longitudinal study. Nocturia may be a predictor of subsequent ED. Matsuda Y, Kobayashi K, Fukuta F, et al. Which Happens Earlier, Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms or Erectile Dysfunction?. J Sex Med 2021;9:100275.