Partners agree that the treatment of LUTS reduces patients' bother and improves their quality of life: prospective 12 years follow-up study

Objectives: To determine if the partner (partner or spouse) can reliably assess the quality of life (QoL) and bother of the patient suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) before and after treatment thereby assisting in management. Methods: 458 men referred with LUTS to a university hospital and 219 partners were recruited into the study between January 1993 and September 1994. Assessment included AUA score, flow rates, QoL and bother validated self-reported questionnaires completed by patients and spouses throughout the study. Data were collected at baseline, 3, 6 months, 6 and 12 years of follow-up. 280 men underwent TURP and 178 were managed by medical (non-surgical) treatment. Results: For the TURP group, the mean QoL for patient and partner at baseline were 8.16 and 9.90 respectively. At 6 months, 6 and 12 years, these improved to 2.43, 3.71, 3.74 and 1.76, 4.07, 4.76 respectively. For the non-surgical treatment group, the mean QoL for patient and partner at baseline were 7.08 and 8.35 respectively. At 6 months, 6 and 12 years, these improved to 5.0, 3.6, 3.28 and 5.67, 3.61, 2.81 respectively. A similar trend applied to the bother score. Improvements in QoL and bother noted by partners agreed with that of patients and were statistically significant. Conclusions: The longest prospective in-depth study has shown marked conformity between patients and partners regarding QoL and bother after treatment. Partners are affected by patients' LUTS, appreciate the improvement after treatment and may be valuable contributors in assessment.