Symptomatic Benign Prostate Hyperplasia May Increase the Risk of Kidney Stones

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Nephrology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and kidney stones are common urologic conditions in men.
• Low fluid intake is a primary risk factor for kidney stones.
• Men with BPH may restrict fluids to manage urinary symptoms, elevating stone risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the incidence of kidney stones in men with symptomatic BPH compared to those without BPH.
• To investigate the association between BPH and the risk of kidney stone formation.

Main Methods:

• Nationwide retrospective cohort study using deidentified electronic health records (TriNetX).
• Included male patients aged 45-85 with and without symptomatic BPH, excluding those with pre-existing stones or specific risk factors.
• Propensity score matching (PSM) and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze kidney stone diagnosis within 5 years.

Main Results:

• The study included over 1 million men (517,180 with BPH, 560,006 without BPH) after PSM.
• Men with symptomatic BPH exhibited a significantly higher incidence of kidney stones across all age groups.
• The average hazard ratio (HR) for stone development in BPH patients was 2.51, with specific HRs ranging from 2.21 to 2.75.

Conclusions:

• Symptomatic BPH is associated with a substantially increased risk of kidney stone formation.
• The underlying reasons may involve behavioral factors like fluid restriction or shared pathophysiological mechanisms.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the precise relationship between BPH and kidney stones.