Aggravation of lower urinary tract symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia after COVID-19

To evaluate the effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on prostate volume, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), maximum urinary flow rate (Q_max) andpostvoid residual urine volume (PVR) of patients with BPH.

After retrospectively review the hospital database, the study included 104 patients aged 40-75 years, who were detected to have SARS-CoV-2 according to the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test of combined oro-nasopharyngeal swab samples between March 2020 and December 2020 who were being followed for BPH and had undergone prostate volume, PSA, IPSS, Q_max and PVR measurements within one year prior to their COVID-19 diagnosis. The prostate volume, PSA, IPSS, Q_max and PVR parameters were compared before and after COVID-19.

The prostate volume, PSA, IPSS, Q_max and PVR values were compared pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19. No statistically significant changes were found in prostate volume and PSA levels (p>0.05), while a statistically significant difference was observed in IPSS, Q_max and PVR values, independent of the severity of the disease (p<0.001).

COVID-19 appears to have a negative impact on IPSS, Q_max, and PVR in BPH patients in the short term.