The Effect of Intensive Glycemic Control and Diabetic Complications on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) in Men with Type 1 Diabetes: The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study

Abstract

Objective: While diabetes is known to result in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men, it remains unclear if glycemic control can mitigate urinary symptoms. We studied how diabetic characteristics are related to LUTS in the men who completed the urological assessment component of the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) follow-up study of the Diabetes Care and Complications Trial (DCCT) participants.

Research design and methods: Study participants were men who completed the UroEDIC questionnaire at the year 10 DCCT/EDIC follow-up examination, which included data on genitourinary tract function and the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI). Analyses were conducted to assess how treatment arm and diabetes characteristics were associated with LUTS using logistic regression.

Results: Of the 591 men who completed the AUASI questions, nearly 20% (n=115) had AUASI scores in the moderate to severe category for LUTS (AUASI score ≥ 8). No associations were observed between LUTS and treatment arm, or HbA1c levels at the DCCT baseline or end-of-study or at the year 10 EDIC (UroEDIC) examination. Of the diabetes complications studied, only erectile dysfunction at the UroEDIC examination was associated with LUTS.

Conclusions: These data from the UroEDIC cohort do not support the assumption that intensive glycemic control results in decreased lower urinary tract symptom severity in men with type I diabetes. This result may be due to a true lack of effect, or it may be due to other factors, for example the relatively young age of the cohort.