To examine the progression of lower urinary tract symptoms in a longitudinal population-based cohort of black men. Population-based studies of prostatism and longitudinal data regarding changes in lower urinary tract symptom severity have largely focused on white men, with little attention directed toward black men.

In 1996, a probability sample of 369 black men, aged 40 to 79 years, residing in Genesee County, Michigan, and without a prior history of prostate cancer/surgery participated in a prostate cancer screening protocol that included completing the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI). Four years after baseline, 175 of the 369 men agreed to participate in the follow-up protocol. Of the 175 men, 149 had not reported undergoing treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia and had complete symptom data. These men were included in this study. Differences between baseline and follow-up AUASI scores were examined.

The mean and standard deviation AUASI scores at baseline and follow-up were 7.1 (6.4) and 7.0 (6.8), respectively. Although overall no statistically significant change was found in the mean AUASI during the 4 years of follow-up (−0.11; SD 6.2; P = 0.7), the average change in the symptom score and the variability in the change increased with patient age at baseline from a mean of −0.42 (SD 5.0) among men in their 40s to 2.1 (SD 6.6) among men in their 70s. Of the 91 men (61.1%) who reported mild to no symptoms (AUASI score 7 or less) at baseline, 24 (26.4%) reported moderate to severe symptoms (AUASI score 8 or more) at follow-up. This progression of symptom severity was observed across all ages.

In this population-based study of longitudinal changes in urinary symptoms in black men, we found a substantial percentage of men demonstrated a measurable progression in urinary symptom severity over time. Additional studies are needed to examine critically any racial differences in lower urinary tract symptom progression.