Metabolic syndrome and lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia

Increasing evidence recently has pointed toward a relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and the presence of metabolic syndrome. This relationship has been supported by recent epidemiologic findings. Possible pathophysiologic links also have been proposed to explain the relationship between these two syndromes. The increasing prevalence of obesity in the United States makes this an increasingly relevant problem. Animal studies support a link between autonomic nervous system (ANS) overactivity and the development of urinary symptoms, low bladder compliance, compensatory prostatic hyperplasia, and blockage of the same using alpha-blockade. There appears to be a significant link between ANS overactivity as part of the metabolic syndrome and LUTS secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). However, it is unlikely that ANS overactivity could be responsible for the development of LUTS. Rather, ANS overactivity plays a key role in increasing the severity of LUTS above an intrinsic basal intensity that is determined by the genitourinary anatomic/pathophysiologic characteristics of each BPH patient. This paper defines metabolic syndrome as a collection of abnormalities, including being overweight (visceral abdominal fat distribution), dyslipidemia, hypertension, impaired glucose metabolism, elevated C-reactive protein (chronic inflammation), and autonomic-sympathetic overactivity, with insulin resistance as the hypothesized underlying pathogenic mechanisms.