Purpose: To investigate any associations between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)/benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and metabolic syndrome (MetS).
Materials and methods: In all, 1,224 male police officers in their 50s who had participated in health examinations were included. LUTS/BPH was assessed by serum prostate-specific antigen, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), transrectal ultrasonography, maximum urinary flow rate (Q max), and postvoid residual urine volume (PVR). In addition, testosterone was also examined. The MetS was defined using NCEP-ATP III guidelines. We used the multiple linear regression test and logistic regression analyses to examine the relationships.
Results: MetS was diagnosed in 29.0% of participants. There was no significant difference in the percentage of cases of BPH (IPSS >7, Q max <15 ml/sec, and prostate gland volume ≥ 20 ml) (14.2% in the non-MetS group vs. 17.2 in the MetS group; p value=0.178). The total IPSS score and the Q max were not significantly different. The prostate volume and PVR were significantly greater in the subjects with MetS. After adjusting for age and testosterone, the presence of MetS was not associated with BPH (multivariate odds ratio, 1.122; 95% confidence interval, 0.593~2.120). Additionally, MetS was not related to IPSS (Beta, -0.189; p value=0.819), prostate volume (Beta, 0.815; p value=0.285), Q max (Beta, -0.827; p value=0.393), or PVR (Beta, 0.506; p value=0.837).
Conclusions: According to our results, the MetS was not clearly correlated with LUTS/BPH in Korean men in their 50s.
Keywords: Benign prostatic hyperplasia; Lower urinary tract symptoms; Metabolic syndrome.