GPAtlas🧭 When to suspect
Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are extremely common in men and rise steeply with age. LUTS are not a diagnosis but a symptom complex with many causes – most often benign prostatic enlargement, but also overactive bladder, urinary tract infection (UTI), bladder or prostate cancer, neurological disease, and the effects of medication.
Two clinical steps anchor the assessment. First, sort the symptoms into three groups, because the pattern points to the likely mechanism and to the right treatment. Second, actively exclude the dangerous causes – retention, renal impairment and malignancy – which are easily missed in a man who simply reports a "weak stream".
| Symptom group | Typical symptoms | Often suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | Urgency, daytime frequency, nocturia, urgency incontinence | Overactive bladder (OAB) |
| Voiding | Hesitancy, slow or intermittent stream, straining, terminal dribbling | Bladder outlet obstruction (e.g. benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH) |
| Post-micturition | Post-micturition dribble, sensation of incomplete emptying | Often follows obstruction; usually benign |
Source: NICE CG97
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