Researchers looked at age, prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostate volume (PV) in Indonesian males with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and determined that the relationship between the variables was similar to other population sets – PV and PSA rose with age and prostate volume correlates with PSA.
The study, “Relationship of age, prostate-specific antigen, and prostate volume in Indonesian men with benign prostatic hyperplasia,” was published in Prostate International.
In BPH, significant tissue remodeling occurs within the prostate as men age, which induces an increase in PV. Several studies from Western and East Asian populations also explored the relationship between PSA and PV which demonstrated a positive correlation.
For the current study, researchers examined data of 1,638 men in Indonesia, age 40 and older, and diagnosed with BPH between June 1994 and December 2013. All patients complained of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and were subjected to TRUS-guided prostate biopsy.
Patients who had their PSA levels above 10 ng/mL were eliminated because of potential prostate cancer. TRUS was used to measure PV, then proper statistical tests were used for data analysis.
The results reveal statistical significant differences in PSA and PV between age groups.
Analysis of the data by subgroup (with versus without) the use of a catheter inserted into the bladder revealed the following: age (66.09 versus 65.38), PSA (4.93 ng/mL versus 4.68 ng/mL), and PV (47.58 versus 41.43). Catheter use had no effect between the categories.
The study concluded: “In Indonesian men with biopsy-proven BPH, both PV and PSA increased with ageing. Prostate volume was significantly correlated with PSA. Even though the results were weaker, these results are consistent with results in other sets of population. The results vary between different countries and thus, ethnicities. Indonesia is a populous a sociocultural and ethnically diverse country. Therefore, aside from PSA, age, and PV, when investigating men with BPH, ethnicity may also need to be taken into account.”