Correlates and prevalence of prostatitis in a large community-based cohort of older men.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence and correlates of self-reported history of prostatitis in terms of lower urinary tract symptoms and associated dissatisfaction in community-dwelling older men.


METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional analysis from a prospective cohort study of 5821 men aged 65 years and older recruited from six clinical centers.


RESULTS
Overall, 1439 men (25%) self-reported a history of prostatitis. Men with a history of prostatitis were more likely to self-report a history of prostate cancer (26% versus 7%; P < 0.0001) and a history of benign prostatic hyperplasia (83% versus 38%; P < 0.0001) within a lifetime compared with men without a history of prostatitis. Men with a history of prostatitis also had a greater mean American Urological Association symptom score (mean +/- SD, 10.1 +/- 7.1 versus 7.7 +/- 5.9; P < 0.0001) than men without a history of prostatitis. Also, a greater percentage of men with a history of prostatitis reported being dissatisfied with their present urinary condition than did men without a history of prostatitis (21% versus 11%; P < 0.0001). We found positive associations for a history of prostatitis with a history of benign prostatic hyperplasia (odds ratio 8.0, 95% confidence interval 6.8 to 9.5), a history of prostate cancer (odds ratio 5.4, 95% confidence interval 4.4 to 6.6), and dissatisfaction with current urinary condition (odds ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1.01 to 1.5).


CONCLUSIONS
A self-reported history of prostatitis is common in older men and was associated with self-reported prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia and increased severity of lower urinary tract symptoms and associated dissatisfaction. Because of the potential detection bias, recall bias, and the cross-sectional nature of the study, limiting causal inference, the associations among these urologic conditions require additional study.
Daniels
Nicholas A
NA
Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94115, USA. ndaniels@medicine.ucsf.edu
Ewing
Susan K
SK
Zmuda
Joseph M
JM
Wilt
Timothy J
TJ
Bauer
Douglas C
DC
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000453:epidemiology*