Benign prostatic hyperplasia and cardiovascular risk: a prospective study among Chinese men

To examine the prospective association of BPH with subsequent risk of CVD, including heart disease and stroke.

We used data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study of 5242 Chinese men aged 45 years or older. During a follow-up of 7 years, we identified 613 cases of non-fatal CVD, including 417 heart diseases and 254 strokes. Cox proportional hazards models yielded hazard ratios (HRs) relating BPH to CVD, heart disease, and stroke incidence.

Overall, 8.1% of men reported a history of BPH diagnosed by physicians at baseline. As compared with men without a history of BPH, those reporting a history of BPH had an increased risk of developing CVD (multivariable-adjusted HR = 1.43 [1.12, 1.83], heart disease (1.35 [1.00, 1.83]), and stroke (1.50 [1.03, 2.19]). The subgroup analysis by age at baseline (< 60 vs. ≥ 60 years) showed that the associations appeared to be evident among men < 60 years, particularly for CVD (1.82 [1.24, 2.69]) and heart disease (1.72 [1.06, 2.79]). However, interaction tests suggested the associations were not significantly modified by age (P for interaction > 0.10 for all outcomes).

In Chinese men, BPH was associated with higher risks of CVD, heart disease and stroke, particularly among men aged < 60 years.