Relationship between the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and decreased functional bladder capacity

Purpose: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Recently, non-classical risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), have gained attention. Both CVD and LUTS are prevalent among aging populations and share common vascular risk factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease risk and functional bladder capacity among men with LUTS.

Methods: This study was conducted on 86 men aged 40-79 with complaints of LUTS who were asked for digital rectal examinations, blood tests on serum total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and mid-stream urine tests for microscopy and culture. For evaluating patients' LUTS, a 24-h voiding diary was asked. The atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD) score comprises the patient's current age, sex, race, diabetes mellitus status, smoking status, hypertension status, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and HDL levels.

Results: According to the ASCVD score, 46 and 40 patients were categorized as low and high risks for cardiovascular diseases, respectively. Based on the FBC, 47 patients had decreased FBC and the rest were normal. According to logistic regression, it was determined that age can be considered a predictive variable for decreased FBC and the lower FBC can be considered as a predictive factor in the high-risk group for cardiovascular diseases (p = 0.002).

Conclusion: It seems that decreased FBC is related to a higher predicted cardiovascular event rate in men with LUTS and could be considered a predictor of ASCVD risk.