Characteristic pattern of human prostatic growth with age.
OBJECTIVE
To study the characteristic pattern of the age-related growth of the human prostate gland.


METHODS
The volume (weight) of the prostate in 1,601 males, aged from newborn to 92 years, was determined by B-ultrasonography.


RESULTS
Prostatic volume determination by B-ultrasonography in 1601 males (1301 normal subjects and 300 BPH patients) pointed out that the age-stratified growth of human prostate could be categorized into 4 life stages: (1) the first slow growing phase (from newborn to 9 years): the prostate grows slowly at a rate of 0.14 g per year; (2) the first rapid growing phase (from 10 to 30 years): the prostate grows at a rate of 0.84 g per year; (3) the second slow growing phase (from 30 to 50 years), the prostate grows at a rate of 0.21 g per year; (4) the second rapid growing phase (from 50 to 90 years): the prostate grows at one of the following rates: in one group the growth rate is of 0.50 g per year and in the other 1.20 g per year, leading to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).


CONCLUSIONS
The volumes of the prostate are different in different age groups and it grows with age at different rates in four life phases. The prostate growth in phases can be expressed by the following equation: Y=19.36+1.36X'-0.58X'(2+0.33X'3), where Y = prostate volume, X = age (up to 70 years), X'=(X-35.5)/10.
Xia
Shu-Jie
SJ
Department of Urology, Shanghai 1st People's Hospital, Shanghai 200080, China. XSJ@citiz.net
Xu
Xiao-Xin
XX
Teng
Jian-Bao
JB
Xu
Chun-Xiao
CX
Tang
Xiao-Da
XD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D011467:Prostate / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000254:growth & development*; D014463:Ultrasonography