Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between auricular reflective points and the status of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) among Chinese aging males.
Methods: A total of 113 male participants, with 69 having LUTS (LUTS+ve) and 44 having no LUTS (LUTS-ve), were recruited for this case-control study. Ear diagnosis was conducted in three ways: inspection, electrical skin resistance measurement, and tenderness testing.
Results: Quality of life was lower among the LUTS+ve cases than among the LUTS-ve cases. The tenderness and electrical conductivity of a number of auricular points, including the "angle of superior concha", the "urinary bladder", the "ureter", the "kidney", the "urethra", and the "internal genitals" were associated with LUTS in the Chinese aging males. In terms of electrical conductivity, the "angle of superior concha" on both ears exhibited the highest sensitivity among the other auricular points under testing. This auricular point also demonstrated considerable sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values for both ears during the tenderness testing.
Conclusions: Auricular diagnosis has a pre-diagnostic value and could be considered as a screening method for the aging population with relatively high LUTS risk.
Keywords: Aging; auricular diagnosis; elders; lower urinary tract symptoms; males.