Correlation of Visceral Obesity and Interleukin-6 Level on LUTS Due to Benign Prostatic Enlargement

Benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) is a common condition in older men causing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Numerous studies have shown correlations of obesity and age as risk factors of LUTS due to BPE. However, there are only a few studies showing the increase of interleukin-6 (IL-6) as a risk factor in LUTS. IL-6 expression is regulated in the prostate. IL-6 was found to be increased in several conditions, such as infection, inflammation, and obesity. The aim of this study is to correlate visceral obesity and IL-6 expression in the prostate with BPE and LUTS.

We analyzed the correlation of the Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) and IL-6 of 52 patients with LUTS due to BPE. Statistical analysis was tested using an independent t-test. Data were analyzed with SPSS ver 20.1.

Of 52 BPE subjects, who had not received any therapy, 16 patients presented with severe LUTS (30.77%), while the remaining 69.23% had mild-moderate LUTS complaints. IL-6 examination showed that obese patients and severe LUTS had higher IL-6, with p=0.032 and 0.01, respectively. Correlation analysis showed a weak correlation between IL-6 and obesity (r=0.179, p=0.02). Based on regression study, it was found that the risk for a patient with visceral obesity to develop severe LUTS is 5-times higher than normal (p=0.017).

This study found a correlation between the degree of visceral obesity assessed by VAI and IL-6 levels in BPE patients. In addition, there is also a correlation between the degree of visceral obesity and IL-6 levels on LUTS severity in people with BPE.