Effects of Hormones and Age on Prostate Volume and Symptom Score in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia / 대한비뇨기과학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Although benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has been shown to increase with age and be influenced by sex hormones, the relationship between aging and hormonal influences on growth of prostate is still unresolved. We studied the relationship of age and androgen on volume of prostate and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and ten men with BPH were evaluated using transrectal ultrasonography, and international prostate symptom score for BPH. In all patients, the following parameters were obtained by serum analysis: prostate-specific antigen (PSA), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone, free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and prolactin. RESULTS: With age, there was a significant increase in the prostate volume, serum LH, FSH, and PSA, and a significant decrease in serum free testosterone. However, prostate volume and IPSS were not correlated with measured serum hormones. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not suggest that testosterone act on the development of BPH and lower urinary tract symptoms. However, because the levels of circulating hormones do not necessarily reflect their intraprostatic concentrations, molecular biologic studies and prospective clinical studies may be needed to establish the linkage between hormones levels and BPH.