Effect of body mass index on prostate volume and prostate-specific antigen in men over 50: A cross-sectional study

To assess the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and prostatic-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and prostate volume (PV) in men over 50 years.

This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Urology Outpatient Clinic at Badr Hospital and 15th May Hospital over a period of 6 months on 300 male patients over 50 years of age. The international prostate symptom score (IPSS) was used to evaluate the severity of lower tract urinary symptoms. Patients were classified according to their BMI as underweight, normal, overweight, obese, and very obese.

The patients' mean age was 69.01 ± 11.95 years, and their mean BMI was 23.65 ± 3.54 kg/m². An increasing trend was observed between the studied groups in terms of PV and IPSS scores. Very obese patients were associated with a significant (p < 0.05) higher PV and IPSS, followed by obese, overweighted, normal weight, and underweighted patients. On the other hand, obese patients were associated with significantly (p = 0.005) lower PSA levels compared with individuals with normal or underweight. A significant positive correlation between BMI and PV and IPSS (r = 0.316, p < 0.001 and r = 0.36, p < 0.001), respectively. We found a significant negative correlation between BMI and PSA level (r = -0.33, p < 0.001).

Among patients older than 50, a significant correlation between BMI and PV, PAS, and IPSS was found. Obese patients had significantly higher PV and IPSS scores, and lower PAS levels than normal weight patients. Further studies are required to investigate the relationship between obesity and LUTS and the predictors of developing BPH in elderly patients.