Print Print
CKS is no longer commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE remains committed to providing a replacement service for CKS and is currently reviewing its options. In the meantime, although CKS content is now not being maintained, it still remains relevant and will continue to be made available. CKS content was generated under a programme of topic creation and update. To check if the topic you are viewing is current or out of date, please refer to the topic publication details by clicking on the 'How up-to-date is this topic?' link in the left hand menu on individual topic pages.

Lower urinary tract symptoms in men, age-related (including symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia/hypertrophy) - Management
International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS)

  • The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) is a tool for classifying the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms as mild, moderate, or severe; and to assess how bothersome the symptoms are.
  • The IPSS questionnaire is intended to be completed by the man. It assesses symptoms (by adding the score of seven separate questions) and degree of bother (one question):
    • Severity of symptoms questions — each is scored from 0 (best) to 5 (worst).
      • Incomplete emptying. Over the past month, how often have you had a sensation of not emptying your bladder completely after you finish urinating?
      • Frequency. Over the past month, how often have you had to urinate again less than 2 hours after you finished urinating?
      • Intermittency. Over the past month, how often have you found you stopped and started again several times when you urinated?
      • Urgency. Over the last month, how difficult have you found it to postpone urination?
      • Weak stream. Over the past month, how often have you had a weak urinary stream?
      • Straining. Over the past month, how often have you had to push or strain to begin urination?
      • Nocturia. Over the past month, many times did you most typically get up to urinate from the time you went to bed until the time you got up in the morning?
    • The IPSS severity score is the total of the seven individual symptom scores, and is interpreted as:
      • Score 0–7: mildly symptomatic.
      • Score 8–19: moderately symptomatic.
      • Score 20–35: severely symptomatic.
    • Question about quality-of-life due to urinary symptoms — scored from 0 (best) to 6 (worst).
      • 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?

© NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement