What is it about?
Epidemiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is incompletely understood. The following study was done to estimate the prevalence of BPH according to obstructive and irritative symptoms of prostate obstruction determined by uroflowmetry and prostate size. In a cross-sectional study a total of 8,466 men aged 40 or older were interviewed by 74 general practitioners and answered the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) questionnaire.
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Why is it important?
Traditionally, epidemiology is the description of epidemics, which are occurrences of diseases that significantly affect various groups of people. Nearly all men will develop histological benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) by the age of 80. The disease is now known to adversely affect the quality of life of around one man in three over the age of 50. The prevalence of histologic BPH can be determined only from autopsy studies.
Perspectives
Due to lack of consensus about definition for clinical BPH, the comparison of different studies is difficult. This study showed that BPH is prevalent in Iran. This is the first study to determine the level of BPH for all of Iran. Yet, further studies on the cause and geographical variations in the incidence and prevalence of BPH are needed. Epidemiological studies in the development of BPH would provide invaluable information about risk factors, eventually leading to effective prevention strategies and resources allocations. In addition, since BPH affects man’s quality of life, and because of its consequences for the individual and for the general public health, BPH merits further study.
Dr Mohammad Reza Safarinejad
University of Medical Sceices
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia in a population-based study in Iranian men 40 years old or older, International Urology and Nephrology, February 2008, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/s11255-008-9338-7.
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