Factors Affecting Health-related Quality of Life in Middle-aged Male Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to provide a fundamental data and improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in increasing population of middle-aged male patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) by investigating and analyzing the factors affecting the HRQoL. METHODS: The survey was performed with 124 middle-aged male BPH patients of Fatima hospital located in Daegu city. The data were collected by questionnaires and were analyzed by using SPSS WIN ver. 18.0 (IBM Corp., New York, NY, USA). RESULTS: Severity of BPH in participants was classified into moderate (54%), severe (31.5%), and mild (14.5%). The mean HRQoL score was 3.78 points. The scores in each section were 4.18 points for ‘disability of daily living activity’, 3.95 points for ‘discomfort due to BPH’, 3.69 points for ‘psychological state’, 3.65 points for ‘anxiety’ and 2.93 points for ‘sex life’. Perceived health state presented positive correlation with HRQoL and negative correlation with BPH symptoms. The BPH symptoms showed negative correlation with HRQoL. The level of BPH symptoms, perceived health status and prostate volume were revealed to influence the HRQoL in the order of the degree of influence. The factors' determination value was 63.0%. CONCLUSIONS: It was confirmed that the lower the patient's level of BPH symptoms is, the better the perceived health status is and that the smaller the prostate volume is, the higher the HRQoL is. Therefore, administration of medicine that relieves BPH symptoms and reduces a volume of the prostate should be encouraged and sustainable education, customized treatment and nursing care should be provided.