[Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): prevalence in general practice and practical approach of French general...

To determine the elements taken into account by French general practitioners to establish the initial diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and to estimate the prevalence of BPH.

1,698 doctors answered a questionnaire on their medical practice, and kept a register for two consecutive weeks comprising all men between the ages of 55 and 70 years seen in their practice. Men with no known BPH completed the IPSS (International Prostate Symptoms Score) questionnaire. The doctors described the management of the first three patients with an IPSS score > 8.

The prevalence of BPH in the population of 33,077 men between the ages of 55 and 70 years consulting their general practitioner was 57.5%: 40.8% of patients had known BPH at the time of the visit and 29.9% of patients without known BPH reported voiding disorders (IPSS > or = 8). For the diagnosis of BPH, clinical interview was not systematically followed by digital rectal examination and urinalysis was rarely performed. Laboratory tests and ultrasound were the complementary investigations most frequently performed.

BPH is a frequent disease whose prevalence is underestimated. This diagnosis should be considered more frequently when patients over the age of 55 consult their general practitioner.