# Longitudinal Associations Between Frailty and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Older Men

> **NIH NIH R03** · NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE/RES/EDU · 2020 · $153,300

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
There is a fundamental knowledge gap and potential missed opportunity related to the current lack of
understanding about the relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and frailty among older
men. Older men with LUTS are more likely to suffer from falls, fractures, functional impairment, poor health-
related quality of life, and mortality, but our current LUTS treatments do not target these outcomes. Further, we
have limited understanding of how frailty and other systemic processes of aging, which are strongly associated
with functional impairment, may contribute to the development of LUTS.
Our long-term goal is to improve health-related quality of life and functional outcomes among older men with
LUTS by creating a novel holistic framework for understanding the contribution of non-urologic and aging
factors to the development of LUTS as well as the impact of LUTS on frailty and functional outcomes. The
objective of this application is to evaluate the direction and strength of longitudinal associations between LUTS
and frailty in order to identify preceding and potentially modifiable risk factors. Our central hypothesis is that the
relationship between LUTS and frailty is bidirectional, such that LUTS are independently associated with
worsening frailty and that frailty is independently associated with worsening LUTS.
This hypothesis will be tested by leveraging the prospective, observational Osteoporotic Fractures in Men
(MrOS) Study to pursue the following specific aims: Aim 1) To determine the longitudinal association between
frailty and worsening LUTS; and Aim 2) To determine the longitudinal association between LUTS severity and
worsening frailty. This project is innovative because it combines and leverages two previously distinct
conceptual models – it builds upon our prior work demonstrating the strong cross-sectional association
between LUTS and frailty to evaluate frailty as a previously unexplored predictor or mechanism of LUTS and
LUTS as an unexplored predictor or mechanism of frailty.
The proposed research is significant because a comprehensive evaluation of these longitudinal relationships is
needed in order to identify novel frailty or LUTS mechanisms and treatments as well as early frailty indicators.
For example, men with frailty-associated LUTS may require different interventions than the prostate and
bladder-focused therapies that are currently recommended. Alternatively, treatments for certain LUTS domains
may prevent or reverse frailty and subsequent functional impairment. This research will result in an improved
understanding of the potential bidirectional and reciprocal relationship of these conditions and will identify novel
mechanisms to inform the development of new interventions to improve or maintain health-related quality of life
and physical function among older men with LUTS.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10025786
- **Project number:** 1R03AG067937-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE/RES/EDU
- **Principal Investigator:** Scott Ryan Bauer
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $153,300
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10025786

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10025786, Longitudinal Associations Between Frailty and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Older Men (1R03AG067937-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10025786. Licensed CC0.

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