A survey conducted on patients' and urologists' perceptions of benign prostatic hyperplasia

To better understand the discrepancy that may exist between urologists and patients on various aspects of their perception of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Questionnaires on BPH for patients and urologists and a BPH patient education brochure were developed. 141 patients with symptoms of BPH completed a set of two questionnaires, to be filled out before and after reading the education brochure. 172 urologists practicing in Korea were randomly selected to complete the questionnaire.

Nearly 60% of patients misunderstood the risk for BPH to progress to prostate cancer. In addition, the perceived risks of untreated BPH, desirable treatment effects and undesirable side effects were significantly different between the patients and the urologists. Among the discrete attributes of available medical therapy, the 5α-reductase inhibitor monotherapy was the preferred method chosen by patients. Although the patient brochure significantly improved most of the patients' misconceptions about BPH, the patient preference did not change significantly.

Patients with BPH do not have accurate information about their disease and their expectations of treatment may be very different from their urologist.