Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
Ultrasonography of the Adult Male Urinary Tract for Urinary Functional Testing
Published on: August 14, 2019
[Benign prostate hyperplasia. Need to evaluate quality of life in the therapeutic process]
Francesc Bobé Armant1, M Eugenia Buil Arasanz, Ana Isabel Allué Buil
1EAP Tárraco. Institut Català de la Salut. Tarragona. España. elsmua@comt.es
Objective:
To relate the symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) to their repercussions on quality of life.
Design:
Multi-centred, observational, prospective study.
Setting:
Primary care.
Participants:
Men with BPH in 2000-2003. Inclusion criteria were: agreeing to take part, being aged 50-79, and having moderate symptoms evaluated by means of the IPSS questionnaire.
Exclusion Criteria:
Previous treatment for BPH and having a chronic or disabling illness that might affect perception of quality of life. The presence of irritative and obstructive symptoms was appraised.
Main Measurements:
The IPSS questionnaire appraising predominant symptoms and, through the last question, quality of life was self-administered. Descriptive statistics were worked out and differences in proportions of the different groups were analysed by the chi2 test, with differences taken as significant at P < .05.
Results:
We got 536 replies, with average age 66.2. Nycturia was the most common symptom, suffered by 88.1% of patients. A total of 256 patients (47.8%) had irritation as main clinical symptom, and 280 (52.2%), obstruction. On analysing repercussions on quality of life, it was found that obstructive symptoms were worse tolerated: 65.7% versus 9.4% of the group with irritation.
Conclusions:
In treating BPH, we must bear in mind preferences of patients. They tolerate obstructive symptoms worse, and these are a criterion for referral to specialists and even surgery.
