ABSTRACT
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), the etiologic agent of Kaposi's sarcoma, causes malignancies frequently in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. In the United States and Europe, KSHV infection is common among men who have sex with men. However, the seroprevalence of KSHV among men who have sex with men in Japan is unknown. In the present study, the seroprevalence of KSHV was investigated among 230 men who have sex with men and 400 age- and area of residence-matched men (controls) using a mixed-antigen (KSHV-encoded K8.1, open reading frame 59, 65, and 73 proteins) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and an immunofluorescence assay. Among the Japanese men who have sex with men, serological assays revealed that 27 (11.7%) were seropositive for KSHV; 20 (5%) of the men in the control group were also KSHV seropositive. The seroprevalence of KSHV among men who have sex with men was significantly higher than in the control group (odds ratio = 2.52, 95% confidence intervals = 1.38-4.62, P = 0.0019, Chi-square test). Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, Treponema pallidum, or hepatitis B and C virus did not correlate with KSHV infection. Furthermore, the association of KSHV seropositivity with specific sexual activities was not statistically significant. In conclusion, a higher KSHV seroprevalence was found among Japanese men who have sex with men than among the controls, suggesting that the circulation of KSHV infection is more efficient among men who have sex with men in Japan than among men who do not engage in such sexual activities.
Subject(s)
HIV Infections/epidemiology , Hepatitis B/epidemiology , Hepatitis C/epidemiology , Herpesvirus 8, Human/genetics , Sarcoma, Kaposi/epidemiology , Treponemal Infections/epidemiology , Viral Proteins/genetics , Adolescent , Adult , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Case-Control Studies , Coinfection , HIV Infections/blood , HIV Infections/virology , Hepatitis B/blood , Hepatitis B/virology , Hepatitis C/blood , Hepatitis C/virology , Homosexuality, Male , Humans , Japan/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Odds Ratio , Open Reading Frames , Sarcoma, Kaposi/blood , Sarcoma, Kaposi/virology , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Treponemal Infections/blood , Treponemal Infections/virologyABSTRACT
AIM: To clarify the influence of hypertension on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) we examined the relationship between blood pressure, LUTS, and the effect of terazosin on LUTS in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: The subjects were patients who had LUTS and BPH. They were treated with terazosin (1 mg, twice-a-day) for 12 weeks. Calculation of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), measurement of blood pressure, and uroflowmetry were performed before and after 12 weeks of therapy. Patients were divided into a normotensive (NT) group and a hypertensive (HT) group at the time of first examination. RESULTS: The IPSS for urinary frequency and nocturia in BPH-HT patients (n = 21; mean age, 71 years) were significantly higher than those in the BPH-NT patients (n = 21; mean age, 69 years) before the administration of terazosin. The total IPSS the BPH-HT patients was also significantly higher than that of the BPH-NT patients. There were no differences of uroflowmetric parameters between the two groups. After 12 weeks of therapy, systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased in the BPH-HT patients, but not in the BPH-NT patients. However, the systolic pressure of the BPH-HT patients was still significantly higher than that of the BPH-NT patients. The score for each IPSS parameter decreased in both groups, but the difference of the score between the two groups increased. CONCLUSION: Hypertension may worsen LUTS and may decrease the improvement of symptoms by terazosin.
