Association of C-reactive protein and lower urinary tract symptoms in men and women: results from Boston Area Community Health survey.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether an association exists between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) as assessed by the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUA-SI) among both men and women, and to determine the association of CRP levels with the individual urologic symptoms comprising the AUA-SI among both men and women.


METHODS
The Boston Area Community Health survey used a multistage stratified design to recruit a random sample of 5502 adults aged 30-79 years. Blood samples were obtained from 3752 participants. The analyses were conducted on 1898 men and 1854 women with complete data on CRP levels. Overall LUTS was defined as an AUA-SI of >or=8 (moderate to severe LUTS). The urologic symptoms comprising the AUA-SI were included in the analysis as reports of fairly often to almost always vs non/rarely/a few times.


RESULTS
A statistically significant association was observed between the CRP levels and overall LUTS among both men and women. The pattern of associations between the individual symptoms and CRP levels varied by sex. Nocturia and straining were associated with greater CRP levels among men, and incomplete emptying and weak stream were associated with greater CRP levels among women.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study have demonstrated an association between CRP levels and LUTS in both men and women. The dose-response relationship between increased CRP levels and an increased odds of LUTS supports the hypothesized role of inflammatory processes in the etiology of LUTS.
Kupelian
Varant
V
New England Research Institutes, Watertown, Massachusetts, USA.
McVary
Kevin T
KT
Barry
Michael J
MJ
Link
Carol L
CL
Rosen
Raymond C
RC
Aiyer
Lalitha Padmanabhan
LP
Mollon
Patrick
P
McKinlay
John B
JB
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014504:Urban Health; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*
D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein