Impact of metabolic syndrome-related factors on the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia and lower urinary tract symptoms in Asian population

This study aimed to investigate the metabolic syndrome-related risk factors for the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in healthy men.A total of 4880 healthy men who underwent transrectal ultrasonography at our hospital during routine health examinations were included in this study. Those who had undergone a prior biopsy or surgery for prostate disease, were suspected of having urinary tract infection, or were taking BPH/LUTS or metabolic syndrome medications were excluded. BPH/LUTS was defined as an International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) of ≥8 and a prostate volume (PV) of ≥30 cm.The subjects had a mean age of 54.1 years, PV of 29.2 cm, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 1.20 ng/mL, and IPSS of 9.2. The annual PV growth rate was 0.48 cm/year. Age, body mass index (BMI), PSA, basal metabolic rate, apolipoprotein A-1, fasting blood glucose, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were significant predictive factors for PV. Age, PSA, apolipoprotein B, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, HDL, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were predictors of BPH/LUTS at the initial health examination. A decreased fat mass and LDL level were a significant risk factor for the development of BPH/LUTS within 5 years in men without a BPH/LUTS diagnosis at the initial examination.Metabolic syndrome-related variables were strongly associated with BPH/LUTS and by decreasing fat mass and LDL levels, development of BPH/LUTS could be prevented within 5 years in healthy Korean men.