title: Prevalence of prostatitis-like symptoms in Japanese men: Population-based study in a town in Hokkaido.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of prostatitis-like symptoms in Japanese men living in one town.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional and population-based study was performed in a town that had 6385 men aged from 20 to 79 years. We sent two questionnaires, the validated Japanese version of the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index and the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) with questions about individual medical information, to 1424 randomly selected community-indwelling men. Subjects were defined as having prostatitis-like symptoms if they complained of perineal and/or ejaculatory pain or discomfort and their total pain score was four or greater.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 512 men (36%) responded completely to the questionnaires. Of the 512 responders, 25 men (4.9%) were identified as having prostatitis-like symptoms. Prevalence of symptoms was the same in men aged younger than 50 years (5.0%) as those 50 years and older (4.8%). The I-PSS score was 10.8 in men with prostatitis-like symptoms, which was higher than in those without symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of prostatitis-like symptoms was 4.9% in randomly selected men. International comparison of prevalence of the symptoms may contribute to further understanding of chronic prostatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Yakumo General Hospital, Yakumo, Hokkaido, Japan. kunishim@sapmed.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yasuharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kunishima
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Taiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population