ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: We examined the association between insulin resistance assessed by homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in healthy middle-aged male subjects. METHODS: A cross-sectional study included 1,727 male subjects, aged 40-59 year, free of medication history for BPH who received a transrectal ultrasonography and completed a structured questionnaire in 2011. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships of HOMA-IR with BPH across the tertile of HOMA-IR. RESULTS: The prevalence of BPH was 24.4% (421 out of 1,727). It was increased across HOMA-IR tertiles in crude and age-adjusted models. In a multivariable-adjusted model after adjusting potential confounders such as age, body mass index (BMI), triglyceride, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise and meat consumption, odds ratios (95% confidence intervals, CIs) of BPH for 2nd tertile and 3rd tertile compared to 1st tertile were 1.76 (1.31-2.35), and 1.83 (1.34-2.48), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In middle-aged, healthy men, higher HOMA-IR was significantly associated with higher prevalence of BPH, supporting insulin resistance as an independent risk factor for BPH.