Lower urinary tract symptoms and urinary incontinence

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is a global term which includes symptoms caused by failure to store urine and empty the bladder, and post-micturition symptoms. The term LUTS was initially coined in 1994. Before that urinary symptoms were frequently attributed to a particular organ such as the prostate. Since then organocentric terms such as ‘prostatism' have become increasingly obsolete and the International Continence Society (ICS) in 2002 formally classified LUTS into storage, voiding and post-micturition symptoms. This approach acknowledges the long held notion that "the bladder is an unreliable witness" and relies instead upon a more descriptive approach, with no underlying aetiology or specific organ assumed to be responsible for the symptoms experienced.

doi:10.4038/cmj.v53i4.279