Reply by the Authors

Abstract

We read the letter seriously, as we did with the first letter. We have already noticed that our conclusions were inconsistent with those in the study by Otunctemur et al. 1 Otunctemur A. Ozbek E. Besiroglu H. et al. Is the presence of varicocele associated with static and dynamic components of benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms in elderly men?. Int J Urol. 2014; 21: 1268-1272 Crossref PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar , 2 Han H. Yu Z. Gong L. et al. The prevalence and association of varicoceles on male patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms. Urology. 2016; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2015.12.036 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (11) Google Scholar The reasons for this inconsistency may be as follows. First, there might be some differences in race, lifestyle, environment, and other related factors. Second, age distribution differences were observed. The mean ages of grades 1, 2, and 3 varicocele patients were 65.43, 67.15, and 64.52 years in our study, and were 58.79, 60.30, and 61.60 years in Otunctemur et al's study. 1 Otunctemur A. Ozbek E. Besiroglu H. et al. Is the presence of varicocele associated with static and dynamic components of benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms in elderly men?. Int J Urol. 2014; 21: 1268-1272 Crossref PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar , 2 Han H. Yu Z. Gong L. et al. The prevalence and association of varicoceles on male patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms. Urology. 2016; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2015.12.036 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (11) Google Scholar Third, the distribution of patients was different. Among varicocele patients, the prevalence rates of grades 1, 2, and 3 in our study were 31.6% (139/440), 62.3% (274/440), and 6.1% (27/440), respectively, but were 28.2% (141/500), 44.0% (220/500), and 27.8% (139/500) in Otunctemur et al's study. 1 Otunctemur A. Ozbek E. Besiroglu H. et al. Is the presence of varicocele associated with static and dynamic components of benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms in elderly men?. Int J Urol. 2014; 21: 1268-1272 Crossref PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar , 2 Han H. Yu Z. Gong L. et al. The prevalence and association of varicoceles on male patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms. Urology. 2016; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2015.12.036 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (11) Google Scholar