Investigation of the clinical characteristics of benign prostatic hyperplasia patients with enlarged prostate in China

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the real-life clinical characteristics of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients with moderate and severe enlarged prostate. Methods From February 2009 to January 2011,a prospective,non-interventional,multi-center study was conducted on 2 758 BPH patients recruited from 32 hospitals in 10 cities nationwide with the following criteria:prostate volume (PV) larger ≥30 ml and international prostate symptom score (IPSS) ≥ 8. Patient age,PV,IPSS,Qmax medical treatment patterns and physician prescription practice were recorded. The demographic information and clinic characteristics were evaluated as well. Results The mean patient age,PV,IPSS score and Qmax of 2 786eligible patients were 69.2 ±8.5 years (50 to 97 years),47.8 ±16.6 ml (30 to 165 ml),17.5 ±5.4 (8to 35 ) and 11.6 ± 3.6 ml/s (2 to 36 ml/s),respectively.Age subgroup analysis pointed that the mean PV and Qmax in 50 -55 years group were 42.8 ml and 13.3 ml/s compared to 49.0 ml and 11.1 ml/s in the group beyond 71 years.Both parameters had statistical significances (P ＜ 0.05 ). For 56.1％ of the patients,it was their first time coming to clinic seeking for medical advice. Of whom,22.8％ patients had taken BPH prescription medication regularly beyond two weeks.Only 31.3％ of the patients had a history of BPH shorter than one year.22.9％ and 18.3％ of the patients had a history of BPH for 1 -2 and 3 -4 years.And 27.5％ of the patients had a history of BPH related symptoms longer than five years. Only 52.6％ patients were treated with α adrenoceptor antagonists + 5-α reductase inhibitor by urologists according to the recommendation in Chinese guideline of BPH. Conclusions The symptoms and key parameters of moderate and severe benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients become worse and more with increased age in China.It is quite late for most patients coming to clinic seeking for their first medical advice.Furthermore,there is a huge gap between urologist prescription and the recommendation of the Chinese guideline on BPH. Key words: Benign prostatic hyperplasia; Treatment pattern; Clinical characteristics; China