International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS)
Last reviewed 07/2021
The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) is based on the answers to seven questions concerning urinary symptoms and one question concerning quality of life. Each question concerning urinary symptoms allows the patient to choose one out of six answers indicating increasing severity of the particular symptom. The answers are assigned points from 0 to 5. The total score can therefore range from 0 to 35 (asymptomatic to very symptomatic)
The questions refer to the following urinary symptoms:
- Questions relate to particular symptoms
- 1 Incomplete emptying
- 2 Frequency
- 3 Intermittency
- 4 Urgency
- 5 Weak Stream
- 6 Straining
- 7 Nocturia
Question eight refers to the patient's perceived quality of life.
The first seven questions of the I-PSS are identical to the questions appearing on the American Urological Association (AUA) Symptom Index which currently categorizes symptoms as follows:
- Mild (symptom score less than of equal to 7)
- Moderate (symptom score range 8-19)
- Severe (symptom score range 20-35)