Age-specific reference range for serum prostate-specific antigen in Sudanese men

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Clinical Chemistry
• Public Health

Background:

• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a key biomarker for prostate health.
• Established PSA reference ranges may not be universally applicable across diverse ethnic and geographic populations.
• Accurate age-specific PSA values are crucial for early detection and management of prostate conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish age-specific prostate-specific antigen (PSA) reference values in a community-based sample of Sudanese men.
• To evaluate the appropriateness of current PSA reference ranges for the Sudanese male population.
• To provide a more suitable reference range for clinical use in Sudan.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 1051 Sudanese men aged 40-90 years without lower urinary tract symptoms.
• Total serum PSA levels were measured using an immunoenzymetric assay.
• Data were analyzed using SPSS to determine age-specific PSA reference ranges.

Main Results:

• The geometric mean of total serum PSA was 1.48 ng/ml.
• The 95th percentile PSA ranges varied by age group: 0-3 ng/ml (40-49 years), 0-3.02 ng/ml (50-59 years), 0-3.8 ng/ml (60-69 years), and 0-8.7 ng/ml (70-90 years).
• These ranges differ from commonly used international standards.

Conclusions:

• Current age-specific total PSA reference ranges are inappropriate for Sudanese men.
• The reference ranges derived from this study are proposed as more suitable for the Sudanese population.
• Implementing these new ranges may improve the accuracy of prostate health assessments in Sudan.