Archivio italiano di urologia, andrologia : organo ufficiale [di] Società italiana di ecografia urologica e nefrologica / Associazione ricerche in urologia
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Arch Ital Urol Androl · Apr 1998
ReviewSome remarks on the epidemiology of acute urinary retention.
Acute urinary retention is an unpleasant, painful experience which requires immediate medical, and frequently surgical intervention. Population studies reveal that acute urinary retention is a common event: a 60 year-old man who survives a further 20 years has a 23 per cent probability of experiencing an acute episode of urinary retention. About half of acute retention episodes appear to be linked to general anaesthesia and a further large population due to the natural history of benign prostatic hyperplasia. ⋯ Since finasteride acts in a positive manner on the major risk factors (finasteride use increases peak urinary flow rate, reduces symptom scores in moderately symptomatic men and reduces prostate volume), this result is not too surprising. It remains to be determined what the risk factors for anaesthesia-induced acute retention are and how they can be altered. Nevertheless, the improvement of our knowledge of the epidemiology of acute urinary retention in the past 12 months is impressive.