Voiding Frequency in a Sample of Asymptomatic American Men

Abstract

This study suggests that the threshold of 8 to define abnormal urinary frequency may not be correct since more than a third of our sample of asymptomatic men voided more than 8 times daily. It is probably inadvisable to apply a single set of normative values to all American men because of significant variability in regional climates and populations.

Bladder diary measurements in asymptomatic males: Frequency, volume per void, and 24‐Hr volume

“…Our study affirmed previous reports that voiding frequency increases with increasing age 6 and increasing V 24 7,14 -16 and that Vol/Void decreases with increasing age 4,6,11 and increases with increasing V 24 . 7,8,[14][15][16] These relationships suggest that, when comparing a patient's F 24 or Vol/Void measurement with an expected reference value, the expected reference value should be adjusted for the patient's age and V 24 .…”

“…Our findings, supported by several others, indicate that age 4,6,11 and V 24 6,7,14-16 have significant effects on Vol/Void and F 24 measurements from asymptomatic persons. Therefore, when comparing a patient's bladder diary measurement to an asymptomatic reference population, the reference values should be adjusted for the known effects of age and V 24 within the reference population.…”

“…However, 15 (over 16%) of our 92 asymptomatic volunteers had F 24 s !8, and our maximum F 24 was 14.5. Similarly, in men over 65 Blanker et al 11 report a 75th percentile of 8.3, and Latini et al 6 report a 75th percentile of 9 and a 95th percentile of 12. Even higher upper normal limits are suggested by mean F 24 s in asymptomatic men 60-69 years old reported by Homma et al 5 of 8.8 and by van Haarst et al 7 of 8.03.…”

Voiding patterns in men and women with lower urinary tract symptoms combined with nocturia

“…Men were found to have higher total fluid intakes and mean VVs than women, whereas women voided more frequently than men, and therefore, had more voids per litre of fluid intake. Moreover, Latini et al 17 found that urinary frequency was related to fluid intake in asymptomatic men. This finding demonstrates that elderly women with LUTS have lower functional bladder capacities.…”

Overlap of voiding symptoms among common urologic conditions

“…Without controlling for at least some of these factors, defi ning normal urinary frequency may not be very meaningful. However, a variety of investigators have attempted to analyze urinary frequency in asymptomatic individuals [25][26][27][28][29]. A cutoff point of eight voids per 24-hour period has often been used to defi ne abnormal frequency, but these studies would suggest that one third to one half of asymptomatic individuals void nine or more times daily.…”