High rate of prostate symptoms among Ariaal men from Northern Kenya.
BACKGROUND
To determine the prevalence and possible determinates of symptomatic benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in a subsistence population, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) was administered to men among the Ariaal, a group of pastoral nomads in Northern Kenya.


METHODS
Subjects were 56 nomadic and 62 settled men with estimated ages between 22 and 96. Anthropometric measures included height, percentage body fat, waist circumference, and six skinfolds. Saliva samples for the assay of testosterone were also obtained, as was information about common health complaints.


RESULTS
Rates of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) were extremely high compared to those reported in industrialized societies with 49% of the men classified as having moderate to severe symptoms. The level of LUTS was higher among nomads compared to settled males, and increased with age in both sub-populations. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that suprailliac and trunk skinfold thickness, and report of fever and chest cough were significant and positive predictors of moderate to severe LUTS. When controlled for suprailliac skinfold thickness and other health symptoms, height was also a significant and negative predictor of moderate to severe LUTS. Salivary testosterone was not a predictor of LUTS. Prostate quality of life was strongly related to LUTS, with presence of chest cough as an additional predictor.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that rates of BPH may be high in subsistence populations, as a function of poor nutritional status, both short term and long term. As such, they support a role for energetic balance in the development of BPH, though the potential effects of diet or immune function cannot be ruled out.
Campbell
Benjamin
B
Department of Anthropology, Boston University, 232 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215, USA. bcampbel@bu.edu
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
D013739:Testosterone