Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients who underwent prostatic surgery were found to be in poor physical health, with many suffering moderate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and sexual dysfunction, according to the study, “Health-related quality of life, psychological well-being, and sexual function in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia after prostatic surgery,” published in the journal Applied Nursing Research.
To investigate the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), sexual function, and psychological well-being of BPH patients after prostatic surgery and identify the predictors of HRQoL, researchers led by Pierre W.C. Yim from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, conducted a cross-sectional study of 94 people recruited from a urology center in a tertiary public hospital in Singapore.
Study variables were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), the 12-item Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2), the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).
Results revealed that, compared to the norms of the general population and to the reported results of studies in Western countries, these participants were in poorer physical health (assessed with the SF-12cv2) but had better mental health (assessed by the HADS).
Despite prostatic surgery, more than a quarter of all the BPH patients examined experienced moderate LUTS, and 13.8 percent experienced severe erectile dysfunction.
Results also revealed that LUTS and maximum flow rate were predictors of poor physical health, and both anxiety and LUTS were predictors of poor mental health among this group of patients.
Based on these findings, researchers said that special clinical attention should be given to BPH patients with severe LUTS who have a low maximum flow rate or anxiety symptoms.
BPH, an increasingly prevalent medical condition in aging societies, is often associated with LUTS, poor HRQoL, and sexual dysfunction, which can all have a negative impact in patients’ life and well-being.