Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) refer to symptoms that result from conditions and diseases affecting the bladder and the urethra [1]. These consist of:

bladder storage symptoms, which include overactive bladder symptoms and incontinence;

voiding symptoms, which include urinary retention and dysuria;

post-micturition symptoms.

LUTS are common among patients with Parkinsonian disorders (PD), effecting 27 to 85% of patients with Parkinson's disease [2]. Lower urinary tract dysfunction is among the most common types of associated autonomic dysfunctions [3] and LUTS are more frequent in this population than in the general population [4]. There is also a correlation between the stage of the disease and the level of severity of the disorders [5]. Moreover, the risk of overactive bladder is considered to be age-dependent and most substantial in patients aged 65 to 74 years [6].

However, although frequent, the mechanisms responsible for bladder dysfunction are not fully understood. Some authors suggest that degenerative change of the brainstem in the vicinity of the Pontine Continence Center may be implicated in the pathogenesis of storage symptoms in these patients [7]. Others have shown that the thicknesses and volumes of some cortical regions are significantly correlated with the severity of LUTS in PD patients, supporting the anatomical origin of this dysfunction [8].

These disorders have been known for several decades [9]. Their management is above all symptomatic, relying on diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that have recently evolved [10]. The aim of our study was therefore to conduct a narrative review of the literature on the management of LUTS in patients with PD and to highlight the clinical and practical elements of diagnostic and therapeutic management of LUTS in patients with PD.