Is Dipstick Urinalysis Screening Beneficial in Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms?

INTRODUCTION: Dipstick urinalysis is a widely used screening tool in the evaluation of men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). As limited data support the use of dipstick urinalysis, we have used data from three recently published studies to assess clinical outcomes in those who had dipstick urinalysis findings for blood, glucose, and/or leukocytes.

METHODS: We analyzed data from three observational studies involving men interested in using over-the-counter tamsulosin: a self-selection study (SSS) and two actual-use studies of 8-week (AUS8) and 24-week (AUS24) durations. Subgroup analyses focused on pooled data from participants not using α-blockers or other prescription medication for LUTS suggestive of BPH (nonRx users) and who had urine dipstick findings. Data from participants using α-blockers (AUS8) or any prescription BPH medications (SSS and AUS24) are presented as reference.

RESULTS: Overall, 2488 nonRx users underwent dipstick urinalysis and 680 (27.3%) had positive findings including traces of blood (332; 13.3%), glucose (259; 10.4%), and/or leukocytes (245; 9.8%). Among users of prescription medicines, 21.6% (37/171) in SSS, 27.4% (23/84) in AUS8, and 31.1% (47/151) in AUS24 had urine dipstick findings. The 200 dipstick-positive nonRx users in SSS underwent per protocol urological assessment: 26 (13.0%) had a newly diagnosed condition causing/contributing to urinary symptoms of which 2.9% were identified as medically important conditions. Among nonRx users with or without a dipstick finding, medically important conditions reported included prostate cancer (1.0% vs. 1.0%, respectively) and urolithiasis (1.0% vs. 0.3%, respectively). The proportion of men with dipstick urinalysis findings was similar between men who regularly visited their physician and those who did not.

CONCLUSION: Dipstick urinalysis did not markedly increase the detection of undiagnosed medically important conditions that cause/contribute to urinary symptoms, suggesting that this test may not be a very effective screening tool for men with LUTS.

FUNDING: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.