Purpose: The association of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and smoking is still unclear, the goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of smoking on LUTS, irritative and obstructive symptoms in Chinese men.
Materials and methods: Data were obtained from the Fangchenggang Area Male Healthy and Examination Survey (FAMHES) which was conducted from September 2009 to December 2009 in Guangxi. LUTS were assessed by the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), smoking status and other information were collected through questionnaires and physical examination. Analysis was carried out using multivariable logistic regression.
Results: A total of 2,833 men aged 17-88 years were included in this analysis, 1,381 (48.7%) men were current smokers, moderate to severe LUTS were present in 241 men (8.5%) and 928 (32.8%) had no LUTS. Compared to never smokers, current smokers who smoked 10-19 cigarettes/day had lower risk of experiencing moderate to severe LUTS (OR 0.53; 95% CI, 0.32-0.88; P=0.013) as well as moderate to severe obstructive symptoms (OR 0.55; 95% CI, 0.32-0.93; P=0.027) and irritative symptoms (OR 0.65; 95% CI, 0.43-1.00; P=0.048) after adjustment for age and body mass index, diabetes, hypertension and alcohol consumption. However, no statistically significant associations were observed between the LUTS and former smokers.
Conclusions: The results of this study suggested that there was an inverse association between current cigarette smoking and LUTS in Chinese men, and moderate cigarette consumption mightn’t increase the risk of developing LUTS.
