Association between cigarette smoking and prostatism in a Japanese community.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between cigarette smoking and prostatism among Japanese men.


METHODS
Male residents of Shimamaki-mura, Japan, aged 40-79 years old (n = 286), completed a self-administered questionnaire that included the international prostate symptom score (IPSS). A detailed cigarette smoking history was also obtained. All men had a transrectal ultrasonographic estimate of prostatic volume and a peak urinary flow rate measurement.


RESULTS
Current cigarette smoking was inversely associated with an impaired peak urinary flow rate (< 15 mL/sec) (odd ratio [OR] = 0.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.18, 0.84), and with moderate to severe symptoms (IPSS > 7) (OR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.48, 1.49), but was not significantly associated with prostatic volume. Smokers of 1 to 1.4 packs a day were less likely and smokers of less than a pack a day or 1.5 or more packs a day were more likely to have moderate to severe symptoms and a greater prostatic volume.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that cigarette smoking may have a protective effect on prostatism at certain smoking intensities, but no effect or a deleterious effect at other intensities.
Roberts
R O
RO
Section of Clinical Epidemiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Tsukamoto
T
T
Kumamoto
Y
Y
Rhodes
T
T
Masumori
N
N
Miyake
H
H
Girman
C J
CJ
Jacobsen
S J
SJ
Lieber
M M
MM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control