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H A Guess

Publications and source records attributed to H A Guess.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Validation of a questionnaire for comparing the tolerability of ophthalmic medications.

PURPOSE: The Comparison of Ophthalmic Medications for Tolerability (COMTOL) questionnaire was developed for use in clinical trials to compare the tolerability of topical ophthalmic medications used in the treatment of glaucoma. The questionnaire captures the frequency and bother of common side effects (i.e., ocular and other local effects, and effects on visual function) of topical therapy for lowering intraocular pressure. In addition, the questionnaire measures the extent to which these side effects and any associated limitations in routine living activities interfere with health-related quality of life, medication compliance, and patient satisfaction with the medication. This study was designed to assess the measurement characteristics of the COMTOL questionnaire. METHODS: The internal consistency, reliability, reproducibility, construct validity, discriminant validity, and responsiveness of the questionnaire were assessed in 70 adult patients with glaucoma in a clinical trial comparing timolol and pilocarpine. RESULTS: The questionnaire showed good-to-excellent internal consistency (0.73 to 0.98), reliability (0.76 to 0.94), and reproducibility (0.75 to 0.93). In general, there was a strong correlation in the expected direction between the frequency and bother of side effects and patient-perceived global measures. The questionnaire discriminated between patients receiving timolol and patients receiving pilocarpine. The questionnaire demonstrated significant responsiveness to change. CONCLUSIONS: The COMTOL questionnaire showed acceptable measurement characteristics for inclusion as a tolerability measure to supplement spontaneous adverse event reporting in clinical trials of topical ophthalmic therapy.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1997

Demographics, health behaviors, and past drug use as predictors of recall accuracy for previous prescription medication use.

Drug data for pharmacoepidemiologic studies are often ascertained by self-report, but little research has addressed the factors influencing its accuracy. Stratified random sampling was used to select individuals for a study comparing interview data on past prescription drug use with dispensation information from the Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound pharmacy database. The strata included age, gender, and recency of use. Recall accuracy and its determinants were evaluated for repetitively used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), short-term NSAIDs (only a single dispensation), and post-menopausal estrogens. We investigated whether recall accuracy was influenced by education, marital status, race, smoking, alcohol consumption, cumulative drug history, the number of different NSAIDs or estrogens dispensed (both by name and dosage), and the number of dispensations of the drug in question. For repetitively used NSAIDs, recall accuracy was positively associated with the number of NSAID dispensations (the odds of recall were 1.7 [95% confidence interval {CL}: 1.3-2.2] times greater for each additional four dispensations of the NSAID), the total number of drugs dispensed and the number of different NSAIDs dispensed. For estrogen and short-term NSAID use, only higher educational attainment improved recall accuracy: the odds of recall were 4.1 (95% CI: 1.4-11.7) and 2.1 (95% CI: 1.0-4.7) times greater for those with some college compared with those with only a high school degree, respectively. This study demonstrates that predictors of recall accuracy for previous medication use differ by the type of drug and the repetitiveness of its use.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

5 alpha-reductase activity and prostate cancer: a case-control study using stored sera.

We report a nested case-control study of serum biomarkers of 5 alpha-reductase activity and the incidence of prostate cancer. From a cohort of more than 125,000 members of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program who underwent multiphasic health examinations during 1964-1971, we selected 106 incident prostate cancer cases. A control was pair matched to each case on age, date of serum sampling, and clinic location. Serum levels of total testosterone, free testosterone, androsterone glucuronide, and 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta androstanediol glucuronide (3 alpha-diol G) were measured on the stored samples and scored as quartiles. Potential confounders included alcohol, smoking, and body mass index. The adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for a one quartile score increase were 1.00 (0.75-1.34) for total testosterone, 1.14 (0.86-1.50) for free testosterone, 1.13 (0.84-1.53) for androsterone glucuronide, and 1.16 (0.86-1.56) for 3 alpha-diol G. A limitation of this study is that there are two different 5 alpha-reductase isoenzymes, only one of which is expressed in high levels within the prostate, yet both of which may affect serum biomarkers. Since the two isoenzymes are encoded on different chromosomes, variation in one would act as an independent source of measurement error in any analysis of serum biomarker effects of the other. Consequently, the odds ratios may be underestimated and the study, although negative, cannot exclude the previously hypothesized possibility that a positive relationship between intraprostatic 5 alpha-reductase activity and prostate cancer may exist. A clinical trial to test this hypothesis is under way.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Age-related differences in internal prostatic architecture on transrectal ultrasonography: results of a community based survey in Japan.

PURPOSE: We determined age-related differences in prostate internal architecture and prostate volume by transrectal ultrasonography in Japanese men 40 to 79 years old. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 287 study participants were categorized by transition zone disease: group 1-not visible (normal prostate), group 2-visible, borders unclear (diffusely enlarged hyperplasia) and group 3-visible, border clear (nodularly enlarged hyperplasia). RESULTS: Group 1 comprised 40% of men 50 to 79 years old and showed slightly decreased median prostate volume with age. Prostate volume and its variance increased with age in group 3 but differed little across age in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: In a community sample the prostatic internal architecture relationship with age and prostate volume suggested differing growth patterns.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Predictive properties of serum-prostate-specific antigen testing in a community-based setting.

BACKGROUND: Most studies that have described the sensitivity and specificity of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a screening test have been conducted in urology practice settings or in media-based screening programs. The control patients from these settings may have a higher prevalence of urologic disorders that increase serum PSA levels than that of the general population in which screening efforts might take place, leading to biased estimates of sensitivity and specificity. OBJECTIVE: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of serum PSA levels for the early detection of prostate cancer in a population-based setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This population-based case-control study was conducted in Olmsted County, Minnesota, where the Rochester Epidemiology Project could identify all incident cases of prostate cancer through passive surveillance of medical care provided to local residents. Case patients were all 177 men (age range, 50-79 years) who were newly diagnosed as having prostate cancer from 1990 through 1992 and had a prediagnostic serum PSA determination (90% of all incident cases). Control patients were randomly selected from the Olmsted County population and had undergone a clinical examination to exclude prostate cancer. RESULTS: The median (25th and 75th percentiles) of serum PSA levels was 9.4 ng/mL (5.4 and 18.6 ng/mL, respectively) for case patients and 1.2 ng/mL (0.7 and 2.1 ng/mL, respectively) for control patients (P < .001). When sensitivity was plotted against 1-specificity, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.94 (SE, 0.01). The predictive power declined somewhat with age, with areas under the curve of 0.96, 0.94, and 0.90 for men in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, respectively. When cases were restricted to the 155 men with clinically localized disease, the area under the curve was essentially unchanged (0.94; SE, 0.01) and still much greater than the estimates of 0.75 that were reported from urology practice- and media-based settings. CONCLUSIONS: In a community-based setting, serum PSA levels provide better discrimination between men with and without clinically localized prostate cancer than has been observed in studies that were conducted in urologic practices. These results suggest that previous decision analyses may have underestimated the predictive value of PSA for the detection of prostate cancer in a primary care or community-wide screening program.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1996

Adverse effects of medications on urinary symptoms and flow rate: a community-based study.

The relationship between urinary symptoms and medication use was investigated in a community-based cross-sectional study involving a random sample of 2115 men 40-79 years of age in Olmsted County, Minnesota. The American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI) was generated from a validated self-administered questionnaire. Medication use was assessed by in-person interviews. While 1087 men reported daily medication use, only 136 reported daily use of medications known to affect urinary function adversely, including antidepressants (42), antihistamines (23), and bronchodilators (43). Age-adjusted AUASI scores were higher in men reporting daily use of antidepressants, and the association persisted after additionally adjusting for the Depression and Anxiety subscales of the General Psychological Well-Being Scale (adjusted mean difference, 2.1; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.5-3.6; p = 0.008). The adjusted AUASI was also higher among men who took antihistamines daily (adjusted mean difference, 2.3; 95% CI, 0.3-4.3; p = 0.03). Lower age-adjusted urinary flow rates occurred with antidepressants, but not with antihistamines or bronchodilators. Clinicians evaluating men for causes of voiding dysfunction in accordance with the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research practice guideline for the diagnosis and management of benign prostatic hyperplasia should be aware that daily use of antidepressants or antihistamines may be associated with AUASI scores that are two to three points higher than in men not taking these medications.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Natural history of prostatism: longitudinal changes in voiding symptoms in community dwelling men.

PURPOSE: We report the results of 3 contacts during 42 months of The Olmsted County Study of Urinary Symptoms and Health Status Among Men, a longitudinal cohort study of men 40 to 79 years old that was initiated in 1990 to describe changes in lower urinary tract symptom severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At baseline and followup, men completed questionnaires that elicited urinary symptom severity with questions nearly identical to those of the American Urological Association symptom index: RESULTS: Overall, there was an average increase in American Urological Association symptom index of approximately 0.18 (95% confidence interval 0.13 to 0.24) points per year of followup. The average annual symptom score slope and variability in slope increased with patient age at baseline from a mean of 0.05 +/- 1.06 (standard deviation) per year among men in the forties to 0.44 +/- 1.35 per year for men in the sixties, and decreased to 0.14 +/- 1.42 per year for men in the seventies. The age-related changes in symptom severity mirror previous estimates of prostatic growth from autopsy prevalence studies. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate a slow but measurable progression in urinary symptom severity among community dwelling men for 42 months of followup.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

International comparison of the community prevalence of symptoms of prostatism in four countries.

We conducted an international comparison of the prevalence of urinary symptoms of prostatism in 4 countries, using a community-based random sampling of subjects, similar study procedures, and a single definition of cases that was based on a standardized symptom questionnaire. In Scotland 1,994 medically eligible men aged 40-79 years agreed to participate from 3 communities of the Forth Valley. In France, a nation-wide survey was conducted cross-sectionally in a representative sample of 2,011 French men aged 50-84 years. In the USA, the Olmsted County (OC) study recruited an age- and urban/rural-stratified random sample of 2,115 county residents drawn from medically eligible men aged 40-79 years. In Japan, 290 men aged 40-79 years from a fishing village participated in the study. Response rates were 55, 53, 55, and 43% in Scotland, France, OC and Japan, respectively. Urinary symptoms were assessed by the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS), after metrologic validation in English and cross-cultural adaptation of the questionnaire. The prevalence of moderate to severe symptoms (I-PSS > 7) were 14, 18, 38, and 56% in France, Scotland, OC and Japan, respectively. This pattern was consistent within decades of age, and was found for most of the individual urinary symptoms. The proportion of men in Japan reporting very low I-PSS (0 or 1) was approximately 2, 4 and 8 times less frequent, than in OC, Scotland, and France, respectively. Differences in the prevalence of reported urinary symptoms might reflect between-country differences in the true prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia. However, cross-cultural differences in the perception and/or willingness to report urinary symptoms may play an important role in the observed differences. Further study will be required to elucidate the underlying causes of the observed differences.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The effect of finasteride on prostate specific antigen: review of available data.

PURPOSE: We reviewed the available data on the effect of finasteride on serum levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), PSA velocity and PSA density in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To our knowledge all previously published analyses of PSA data from clinical trials of finasteride therapy for BPH and prostate cancer are reviewed. RESULTS: The normal reference range of serum PSA levels in men with BPH and no evidence of prostate cancer who were treated with finasteride for 6 months or longer is half that in untreated men with BPH. The percent by which serum levels of PSA are suppressed after 6 months of treatment for prostate cancer does not tend to be greater than that for BPH. CONCLUSIONS: To interpret serum PSA levels in men with BPH treated with finasteride for 6 months or longer, the serum PSA level should be multiplied by 2 and compared to either age-independent or age-specific upper limits of normal for serum PSA in untreated men with BPH. On the basis of limited data the sensitivity and specificity of this approach appear to be similar to those of the corresponding PSA limits in untreated men with BPH.

5-alpha Reductase Inhibitors↗
PubMed1996

Japanese men have smaller prostate volumes but comparable urinary flow rates relative to American men: results of community based studies in 2 countries.

PURPOSE: We compared prostate volume and peak urinary flow rate in Japanese and American men 40 to 79 years old. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prostate volume and peak urinary flow rate were measured in eligible Japanese men and results were compared to those of a randomly selected American cohort. RESULTS: Mean prostate volume plus or minus standard deviation averaged 20.3 +/- 10.6 ml. in Japanese and 29.6 +/- 13.4 ml. in American men, while predicted cross-sectional increases with age decade were 1.5 and 5.5 ml., respectively. Peak urinary flow rate was higher but the decrease with increasing age was greater in Japanese men. CONCLUSIONS: Prostate volume is larger and the increase with age is more pronounced in American than in Japanese men. However, Japanese men may have a higher peak urinary flow rate and greater cross-sectional decrease with age.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Recall accuracy for prescription medications: self-report compared with database information.

A methodological study was performed in 1992 to evaluate the accuracy of self-reported use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and noncontraceptive estrogens that had been dispensed during the previous 12 years. A sample of 560 individuals dispensed NSAIDs or estrogens, and 140 individuals without NSAID/estrogen dispensations were selected from the Group Health Cooperative pharmacy database. Demographic, behavioral, and drug information was ascertained by telephone interview for 356 persons with and 98 persons without NSAID/estrogen dispensations. Of those with only a single NSAID dispensation, 41% (95% confidence interval (CI) 32-50%) were able to recall any NSAID use compared with 85% (95% CI 76-94%) for those with multiple NSAID dispensations. Thirty percent (95% CI 24-36%) recalled the NSAID name, and 15% (95% CI 10-20%) recalled both the name and dose. For estrogens, 78% (95% CI 70-86%) recalled the name, but only 26% (95% CI 17-34%) recalled the name and dose. Age, but not sex, appeared to influence recall accuracy: Persons 50-65 years of age recalled the NSAID name more accurately than those aged 66-80 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-3.4). A similar advantage was noted for 50- to 65-year-old women in recalling the estrogen name (OR = 1.5, 95% CI 0.6-3.9). Drug name was recalled more frequently for exposures stopped 2-3 years prior to interview than for those stopped 7-11 years prior (OR = 3.0, 95% CI 1.6-5.7, and OR = 2.4, 95% CI 0.9-6.7, for NSAIDs and estrogens, respectively). Specificity was consistently high, ranging from 92% to 100%. This study suggests significant underascertainment of self-reported prescription drug exposure but little evidence that exposures are overreported.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Association between family history of benign prostatic hyperplasia and urinary symptoms: results of a population-based study.

Baseline measurements for a population-based prospective cohort study were used to assess the association between family history of enlarged prostate and urinary symptoms. Between December 1989 and March 1991, a group of randomly selected men aged 40-79 years from Olmsted County, Minnesota, was administered a previously validated questionnaire that included questions with wording close to that of the American Urological Association's Symptom Index. A detailed family history of an enlarged prostate was obtained by personal interview, and peak urinary flow rates were measured for each participant. Of the 2,119 men, 440 (21 percent) reported a family history of an enlarged prostate. The age-adjusted odds of having moderate or severe urinary symptoms were elevated among those with a family history relative to those without (odds ratio = 1.3, 95 percent confidence interval 1.1-1.7). With simultaneous control for effects of age and worry about urologic function, the odds ratio remained at 1.3 (95 percent confidence interval 1.0-1.6). Furthermore, this risk was greater for men with relatives diagnosed at a younger age (odds ratio = 2.5, 95 percent confidence interval 1.5-4.3). Men with a family history were also 1.3 times as likely to have an impaired peak urinary flow rate. These findings suggest that men with a family history of an enlarged prostate may be at increased risk for development of symptoms and signs suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia and that this risk is greater in men with relatives diagnosed at a younger age. Recognition of this association may help to target early interventions and may lead to further clues about the causes of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

New diagnostic and treatment guidelines for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Potential impact in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) recently released the clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Prevalence estimates from a population-based cross-sectional study, the baseline component of a cohort study of the natural history of prostatism, were used to assess their potential impact in the United States. METHODS: The study group comprised a population-based sample of white men aged 50 to 79 years who were randomly selected within age- and residence-specific strata from the Olmsted County, Minnesota, population (1990 census, 105,720). These 1317 men completed symptom assessments and diagnostic evaluations that paralleled the AHCPR guidelines, including the measurement of urinary flow rates and, for a subset (n = 303), ultrasonic determination of postvoiding residual urine volume. RESULTS: The application of the AHCPR benign prostatic hyperplasia diagnostic guidelines to the study cohort (American Urologic Association Symptom Index > 7 and peak urinary flow rate < 15 mL/s) suggests that 17% of men aged 50 to 59 years, 27% of men aged 60 to 69 years, and 35% of men aged 70 to 9 years are eligible to discuss treatment options. Application of these percentages to the 1990 US white population suggests that approximately 5.6 million men aged 50 to 79 years are eligible to discuss treatment options. This number will double by the year 2020 owing to the aging of the population. CONCLUSION: The projected number of men potentially meeting AHCPR guidelines to discuss treatment options for benign prostatic hyperplasia could have a substantial impact on the health care system; this will be compounded by the aging of the population.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Natural history of prostatism: relationship among symptoms, prostate volume and peak urinary flow rate.

We describe relationships among symptoms, prostate volume and peak urinary flow rate in an age stratified, community based random sample of white men 40 to 79 years old with no prior prostate surgery, prostate cancer or other conditions known to interfere with voiding. Symptoms were assessed with an instrument comparable to the American Urological Association symptom index. Prostate volume was estimated by transrectal ultrasonography and peak urinary flow rate was measured by a portable device. Subject age was significantly associated with symptom score but accounted for only 3% of its variation, while prostate volume and peak urinary flow rate explained only an additional 10% of the symptom variability. The odds (95% confidence interval) of moderate to severe symptoms increased with age from 1.9 (1.1 to 3.1), 2.9 (1.7 to 5.0) and 3.4 (1.8 to 6.1) for men 50 to 59, 60 to 69 and 70 to 79 years old, respectively, relative to men 40 to 49 years old. Adjusting for age, the odds of moderate to severe symptoms were 3.5 times greater for men with prostatic enlargement (more than 50 ml.) than for men with smaller prostates, while the odds were similarly increased (2.4-fold) for men not achieving a peak urinary flow rate of 10 ml. per second. Estimated odds changed little when other cutoff points were considered for peak urinary flow rate (15 ml. per second) or prostate volume (40 ml.). These results, based on randomly selected white men, suggest a somewhat stronger, albeit modest, relationship among symptoms, prostate size and urinary flow rate than previously reported in clinic based studies. The strength of these relationships is comparable to that found with other diseases.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMed1995

Do prostate size and urinary flow rates predict health care-seeking behavior for urinary symptoms in men?

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the association between health care-seeking behavior for urinary dysfunction and clinical, physiologic, and anatomic measures of disease. METHODS: A randomly selected sample (n = 475) of men aged 40 to 79 years from Olmsted County, Minnesota, was administered a previously validated questionnaire that assessed the frequency of and bother associated with urinary symptoms and health care-seeking behavior in the past year. Peak urinary flow rates were measured with a standard urometer and prostatic volume was determined by transrectal ultrasound. RESULTS: Overall, 21 of the 475 men (4%) had seen a doctor in the past year for urinary symptoms. Men with moderate to severe symptoms (American Urological Association [AUA] Symptom Scores > 7) were 3.4 times as likely (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4, 8.3) to have sought medical care in the past year as men with none to mild symptoms. Men with enlarged prostates (> 40 mL) were 3.9 times as likely to have sought health care (95% CI = 1.6, 9.6), whereas men with depressed peak urine flow rates (< 10 mL/s) were only slightly more likely to have sought health care for urinary symptoms (odds ratio = 2.1, 95% CI = 0.7, 6.5). Overall, 76% of men who had sought medical care had prostatic enlargement, depressed peak urine flow rates, or moderate-severe symptoms (sensitivity). In contrast, only 55% of men who did not seek health care for urinary symptoms in the past year had mild symptoms, normal prostatic volume, and normal peak urine flow rates (specificity). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that clinical, physiologic, and anatomic measures of prostatism do not adequately distinguish the men who seek medical care for their urinary symptoms from those who do not. There remain some factor(s) that apparently lead some men with minor disease to seek care and that prevent men with measurable disease from seeking care.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Prostate-specific antigen variability in men without prostate cancer: effect of sampling interval on prostate-specific antigen velocity.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate short-term and long-term variability between prostate-specific antigen (PSA) measurements to determine the most appropriate PSA sampling interval and rate of PSA change (PSA velocity) to distinguish between men with and without prostate cancer. METHODS: Retrospective study of PSA variability and PSA velocity in three groups of men without a diagnosis of prostate cancer and PSA levels less than 10 ng/mL: 56 men with a histologic diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH; histologic BPH group) and 527 men with no history of cancer (noncancer group) who were part of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and had PSA sampled at 2-year intervals (long-term), and 223 men with a clinical diagnosis of BPH (clinical BPH group) who had PSA sampled at 3-month intervals (short-term). PSA variability (deviation between consecutive measurements) and PSA velocity based on both two consecutive measurements and three consecutive measurements (average velocity) were calculated for each study group. RESULTS: PSA velocity is the deviation in PSA measurements relative to the elapsed time between the measurements. Because the variability in PSA between measurements was similar for the groups, the major factors that influenced PSA velocity were the sampling interval between PSA measurements, and to a lesser extent, the number of repeat PSA measurements. The 99th percentile for PSA velocity was 0.7 (histologic BPH group) and 0.75 ng/mL per year for the noncancer group when three measurements with a 24-month PSA sampling interval were used. However, the 99th percentile for PSA velocity was 5.8 and 2.4 ng/mL per year when three measurements with 3-month and 6-month PSA sampling intervals were used. Using three measurements, the percentage of subjects with a PSA velocity more than 0.75 ng/mL per year was 1% for the groups with a 24-month PSA sampling interval and 28% and 17% for 3-month and 6-month PSA sampling intervals, respectively. The 99th percentile for PSA velocity and the percentage of subjects with a PSA velocity more than 0.75 ng/mL per year was higher using two measurements compared to three measurements regardless of PSA sampling interval. CONCLUSIONS: PSA velocity is inversely related to the interval between PSA measurements. A PSA velocity more than 0.75 ng/mL per year is useful in distinguishing between men with and without prostate cancer when: (1) velocity is based on three consecutive measurements; and (2) PSA is sampled long-term (2 years) but not short-term (3 to 6 months).

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Does the mode of questionnaire administration affect the reporting of urinary symptoms?

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect of modes of administration (self-administered questionnaires, oral face-to-face interview, and telephone interview) on responses to the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUASI) in randomly selected community men. METHODS: An age-stratified random sample of 475 white male residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, aged 40 to 79 years, without prior prostate surgery or prostate cancer were queried about urinary symptom frequency twice at baseline and twice approximately 2 years later using questions with wording similar to the AUASI: At baseline and first follow-up, questionnaires were self-administered initially, followed by a structured interview by a female urology nurse within 2 to 28 weeks. A subset of 200 randomly selected men received a telephone interview by a female research assistant following the self-administered questionnaire given at a second follow-up approximately 4 years after baseline. RESULTS: Mean symptom scores obtained by oral interview were 1 to 2 points lower than those from self-administered questionnaires (P < 0.01). In a random subset (n = 200) interviewed by telephone, mean AUASI scores were as much as 4 points lower than those from self-completed questionnaires. CONCLUSIONS: Values of the AUASI obtained by interviewer administration may be lower than those obtained by self-administered questionnaires. When assessment of change in urinary symptoms over time is of interest, the same standardized method of questionnaire administration should be used at baseline and follow-up evaluations to avoid introducing artifactual differences related to the mode of administration.

Adult↗