A team of multidisciplinary researchers at Capital Medical University in Beijing, China, found that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is significantly associated with the clinical predictors for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) progression and the frequency and severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The findings suggest that modification of certain lifestyle choices such as diet and regular physical activity may have a great impact on public health.
The study, “Relationship between Metabolic Syndrome and Predictors for Clinical Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Progression and International Prostate Symptom Score in Patients with Moderate to Severe Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms,” was published in the latest edition of the Urology Journal.
MetS refers to a particular set of risk factors such as a large waistline and high cholesterol that heighten risk for heart disease and other health problems like diabetes and stroke.
Published reports and other scientific literature previously showed that MetS may be related to the development and progression of BPH and associated LUTS symptoms, such as incomplete bladder emptying, frequency, intermittency, urgency, weak stream, straining, and nocturia (waking up at night to urinate). Patients with MetS may be able to prevent or delay the onset of metabolic-MetS complications like BPH and LUTS if appropriate lifestyle and behavioral changes are made.
In the recent study, the researchers sought to understand the association between MetS and the predictors for BPH progression more clearly and specifically to the corresponding frequency and severity of LUTS.
Researchers enrolled 530 patients who had a greater than average results in the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) evidence based clinical test for BPH. They assessed the patients’ clinical predictors for BPH progression that included total prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen level (PSA), maximal flow rate, postvoid residual urine volume, and those who were 62 years old and or older. LUTS and MetS were also assessed in the patients through BPH clinical predictors of progression.
After analysis, the primary study finding showed that MetS is significantly associated with the predictors for clinical BPH progression and the frequency and severity of LUTS, with the significance most remarkable with voiding symptoms. Also revealed was that each separate MetS risk factor is an independent risk factor for severe LUTS.
The study concluded: “The prevention of such modifiable factors by promotion of dietary changes and regular physical activity practice may be of great importance for public health. Further investigations with long-term follow-up are needed to better understand the role of MetS as a potential risk factor for BPH/LUTS progression and to identify new possible therapeutic targets and open novel strategies for the management of BPH/LUTS.”