Prevalence of prostatitis-like symptoms in a community based cohort of older men.
OBJECTIVE
We describe a community based study to estimate the prevalence of prostatitis-like symptoms using questions similar to the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI).


METHODS
Study subjects were a randomly selected sample of Olmsted County, Minnesota white men 40 to 79 years old in January 1990 who participated in a longitudinal study of lower urinary tract symptoms. Subjects were evaluated biennially using self-administered questionnaires. In 2000 questions similar to the NIH-CPSI were incorporated into the questionnaire and questionnaire responses were used to categorize men as having prostatitis-like symptoms.


RESULTS
Of 1,541 men 182 (12%) had at least 1 urogenital pain symptom. Pubic (76 men, 4.9%) and testicular (73, 4.7%) pain were the most frequent pain symptoms. A total of 34 men with prostatitis-like symptoms (2.2%) had higher mean pain (6.7 versus 0.5), urinary symptom (3.5 versus 2.1) and quality of life impact (3.7 versus 1.9) scores compared to men who did not (all p <0.001). Pain frequency (OR 39.2, 95% CI 18.8, 81.9) and pain intensity (OR 21.5, 95% CI 8.7, 52.9) were more strongly associated with prostatitis-like symptoms than urinary symptom score (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.4, 5.6) or quality of life impact score (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.9, 10.7).


CONCLUSIONS
Although urogenital pain is common among community dwelling men, prostatitis-like symptoms based on the modified questions from the NIH-CPSI are less common. While pain measures may be useful in distinguishing between men with and without prostatitis-like symptoms, the urinary symptom and quality of life impact scores could partly reflect benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Roberts
Rosebud O
RO
Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Jacobson
Debra J
DJ
Girman
Cynthia J
CJ
Rhodes
Thomas
T
Lieber
Michael M
MM
Jacobsen
Steven J
SJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008910:Minnesota / Q000453:epidemiology; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires