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International Prostate Symptom Score

International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS)
1. Incomplete emptying
Over the last month, how often have you had a sensation of not emptying your bladder completely after you finished urinating?
2. Frequency
Over the past month, how often have you had the urge to urinate again less than two hours after you finished urinating?
3. Intermittency
Over the past month, how often have you found you stopped and started again several times when you urinated?
4. Urgency
Over the past month, how often have you found it difficult to postpone urination?
5. Weak stream
Over the past month, how often have you had a weak urinary stream?
6. Straining
Over the past month, how often have you had to push or strain to begin urination?
7. Nocturia
Over the past month, how many times did you most typically get up to urinate from the time you went to bed at night until the time you got up in the morning?
Total I-PSS Score (max 35):
Interpretation of Symptoms:
(Mild: less than 8; Moderate: 8-19; Severe: 20-35)
Quality of life due to urinary symptoms
If you were to spend the rest of your life with your urinary condition the way it is now, how would you feel about that?

Prostatic symptom scores are qualitative. Using them to quantify the degree of obstruction or evaluate therapy is questionable.2

References, footnotes and further reading

  1. Bosch JL, Hop WC, Kirkels WJ, Schroder FH. The International Prostate Symptom Score in a community-based sample of men between 55 and 74 years of age: prevalence and correlation of symptoms with age, prostate volume, flow rate and residual urine volume. Br J Urol. 1995 May; 75(5):622-30.
  2. Wadie BS, Ibrahim EH, de la Rosette JJ, Gomha MA, Ghoneim MA. The relationship of the International Prostate Symptom Score and objective parameters for diagnosing bladder outlet obstruction. Part I: when statistics fail. J Urol. 2001 Jan; 165(1):32-4.
  3. de La Rosette JJ, Alivizatos G, Madersbacher S, Perachino M, Thomas D, Desgrandchamps F, de Wildt M. EAU Guidelines on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Eur Urol. 2001 Sep; 40(3):256-63.
  4. Hassler E, Krakau I, Haggarth L, Norlen L, Ekman P. Questioning questions about symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Fam Pract. 2001 Jun; 18(3):328-32.
  5. Eckhardt MD, van Venrooij GE, Boon TA. Symptoms and quality of life versus age, prostate volume, and urodynamic parameters in 565 strictly selected men with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Urology. 2001 Apr; 57(4):695-700.

Last issued 30 Aug 2006















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PS - Health and Poverty

Perhaps the biggest cause of ill health in the world is poverty. Help to Make Poverty History. For example, why not lend some of your money to disadvantaged communities to enable them to trade their way out of poverty through schemes such as Shared Interest.

See also MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY North East for details and links to campaigns against poverty.

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